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The Real McCoy: Brewer library authenticates historic document found in archives

The document serves as an important piece of Maine's history, no longer hiding in plain sight, right in Brewer where it all started.

BREWER, Maine — The Brewer Public Library's research room holds historic artifacts and documents from Maine's past, featuring a framed document regarding Brewer native and former Governor Joshua L. Chamberlain. 

Known for his heroic involvement in the Civil War at the Battle of Gettysburg, the document describes the promotion of the colonel to brigadier general; nominated by then President Abraham Lincoln.  

Library Director Darren French always wondered if the document was authentic, passing by the framed document during his four years with the library. 

"I didn't know too much about that specifically other than we thought it had an authentic Abraham Lincoln signature," French said.

But it was only when French reached out to civil war historian Brian Swartz that the two realized the document may be something special.

"When Darren and I got to looking at it, we realized it's possibly not a replica," Swartz said. "It's the real thing."

When looking it over, a few things pinged on his radar such as the color of ink used, signature matches to other federal documents, and five red lines in the top left-hand corner, possibly added in by a clerk.

"Particularly the minor detail of the volume and page number where it's filed. You're not going to put that in a forgery," Swartz said. 

So... How did this copy of the Senate resolution end up in the Brewer Public Library? Although a paper trail has been lost over the years on who exactly donated the piece, Swartz believes it was likely someone in the Chamberlain family: his niece Alice Farrington.

"This may have been part of Alice Farrington's will that this was given to the Brewer Public Library," Swartz said. "Sometime soon thereafter this document came into the possession of the Brewer Public Library.”

An important piece of Maine's history, no longer hiding in plain sight, right in Brewer where it all started.

"It's one of those very few moments that when something like that occurs in a historian's life; this was just wonderful to realize this is an actual document, printed in Washington D.C.," Swartz said.

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