Tour the Allandale Library

When the Brooks lived in Allandale, the Library was the room in which they spent the majority of their time. They would frequently sit here to read or listen to music while enjoying a cozy fire in the fireplace.

The large ball-and-clawfoot desk is early Victorian and was Mr. Brooks’ personal desk. It is also a “gentlemen’s desk,” similar to the one in the Parlor, and was therefore designed to be used from both sides. The ornate blue lamp atop this desk was probably originally powered by gas.

The impressive Persian rug seen here is a Mahal design and was manufactured about 1920.

Above the bookcases, you will find several of the trophies Mr. Brooks [with the capable help and guidance of his farm manager, Mr. George Wheeler] won for the black Angus cattle and Tennessee Walking horses raised here.

In 1965, Allandale showed the International Champion female Angus in Chicago, and was the breeder of the Reserve Champion bull. For two years in a row, 1965 and 1966, Ertmire of Haymount, the main Allandale herd sire, was named “Sire of the Year” in the United States. Furthermore, the 1963 International Champion female was sired by an Allandale herd sire, which was bought by a cattle farm [Walbridge Farms] in New Jersey.