NAHANT — The Florence Johnson Herbarium, a collection of pressed flowers dating back to the turn of the 20th century, is now on display at the Nahant Public Library.
Garnering interest for both its scientific information and beauty, the Florence Johnson Herbarium — named for the collection’s original owner, a popular local school teacher who began her 47-year tenure with Nahant Public Schools in 1881 — went online at Digital Commonwealth at the end of August.
Now, several poster-sized enlargements of the century-old specimens, along with two original specimens and photos of plants growing in the community today, will be available for in-person viewing through the end of November as part of the Nature in Nahant project — a two-year undertaking funded by the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.
“The Herbarium is a small piece of Nahant’s whole history, and yet it’s where education, science, art, and the environment all come together,” said Nahant Public Library Director Sharon Hawkes.
In 1897, Johnson and several of her students entered 184 pressed-plant specimens into an exhibition of live plants in Boston sponsored by the Mass Horticultural Society, later winning a prize for their work.
Now, present-day visitors to the exhibit can learn more about the nature around them by using a number of fun science applications, including cross referencing the library’s list of plants with the state list of endangered species, or simply matching photos with their hundred-year-old counterparts.
“Imagine one school teacher inspiring children to run around and identify plants and flowers, all the while using a book with no illustrations to name them,” Hawkes said. “We hope to again get people to appreciate what grew here, and what should grow here today in a healthy environment … This can help us support a variety of plants and take better care of the place we call home.”
A video with more information about the collection is available on YouTube and can be accessed by searching “Florence Johnson Herbarium.”
Additional support for the project is being provided by the Friends of Nahant Public Library. The appointment-only exhibit is available to view Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For further information or to reserve a time slot, interested parties should contact the library at 781-581-0306.
