Leach Library to Host “Annie Londonderry” with Peter Zheutlin

On Thursday, May 17 at 7 p.m., the Leach Library will present “Annie Londonderry: A Presentation of Cycling, History, and Victorian Adventure.” This lively and richly illustrated PowerPoint presentation will recount the life and experiences of Annie Londonderry. The Londonderry Historical Society will be co-hosting the event.

Peter Zheutlin has spent years compiling the information in this presentation on his great-grandaunt, Annie Londonderry. Born Annie Kopchovsky, this notable nineteenth-century woman made history by attempting to be the first woman to ride a bicycle around the world. Her travels were sponsored by the Londonderry Lithia Spring Water Company, hence her change of last name. Using old newspaper accounts, long lost letters, scrapbooks and photographs, Mr. Zheutlin has put together an engaging PowerPoint presentation to chronicle the story of Annie Londonderry’s cross-country, and worldwide, adventures. This presentation tells not only the tale of the woman herself, but of the turn-of-the-century cycling craze and the women’s suffrage movement, and the search for meaning in tracing the story of one’s ancestors. More information can be found at www.annielondonderry.com.

Please join us for this wonderfully illustrated program. The event is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served.