Dora Franklin Combes Panels

Dora Franklin Combes (Mrs. Pierre) was the daughter of Lesser Franklin, the founder of Franklin Park. An artist, Mrs. Combes hand painted verses from different poems on four wooden panels that covered columns which supported the roof of her studio (which later became her home at 3022 Atlantic). The library has acquired three of these hand-painted panels.

In 1999, the Combes home was completely remodeled inside and out. At the time of the remodeling, the Bodgan Stasieczek family, the owners of the home, removed two of the panels and generously donated them to the library. The third panel was taken by Geraldine Meador (a previous owner of the house), who moved to Florida. This third panel was later given to Bart Halleman, who eventually donated the panel to the library. The fourth panel is believed to have been burned as firewood during the Great Depression.

The three remaining panels are adorned with verses from “Requiem” by Robert Louis Stevenson, an untitled poem by William Shakespeare, and “A Wise Old Owl,” by Edward Hersey Richards.

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