Langstroth’s Literary Bee

In May, stop by the GPL Local History Room as we celebrate Reverend Lorenzo Langstroth, Greenfield resident and the “Father of Modern Beekeeping”.  Langstroth developed the moveable frame beehive, which made it possible to harvest honey and check on the bee’s health without destroying the bee hive.

When Langstroth wrote his classic book Hive and the Honey-Bee in 1853, he included inspiration from some of the English language’s great poets and playwrights. Langstroth generally quoted a select few lines of poetry or prose, but we have expanded those to show the full context of the material. Think of this as a literary garden, with a Langstroth bee flying among its lines and branches. The self-guided program will be on view in the Local History Room for the month of May.