The Craftsbury Public Library recently received a gift of two eighteenth century embroidered hatchments, a rendering of a family coat of arms.  Beautiful works of art in their own right, these pieces are of remarkable interest to the Craftsbury community because of their origins; one piece is of the Crafts family crest, embroidered in 1795 by Augusta Crafts, and the second was embroidered in 1797 by Augusta's cousin, Anna Maria Chandler, of the Chandler family crest.  These pieces were donated to the library from the collection of Bruce and Kyla Lisman.

The library will present a program on the history of the two pieces on Sunday, January 29 at 7PM.  Historian Dave Linck and Librarians Susan O'Connell and Princess Van Gulden have been digging into early Craftsbury history and the history of this unique art form.  They will share what they have learned about these two young women in the 1790s and about the unusual embroideries they created.  Heraldic art is not often seen in the United States, and these two hatchments are the only ones known to have been created in Vermont.

The pieces are on display at the Craftsbury Public Library.  For more information contact the library at 802-586-9683 or craftsburylibrary@gmail.com.