An avid collector

One of the newest additions to the Passaic River Coalition library is An Histology of American Gunsmiths, Arms Manufacturers and Patentees With Detailed Description of Their Arms by Stephen Van Rensselaer, a prior owner of Willow Hall. The book was published posthumously in 1947, and according to the introduction, was the result of a lifetime of purposeful and meticulous collecting.

One feature we found interesting about this book is its reference to Miss Pauline C. Stradtman, his personal secretary, in the acknowledgments. We know of her as Aunt Paulie through her nephew Fred Stradtman, Willow Hall's previous owner.