Print of the Old Leatherman
1977 (Earliest/Latest dates)
Paper, ink, metal, glass
One of the more eccentric characters in Wilton’s history, the Old Leatherman passed through Wilton each month in the late 1800s, but very little was known about him except that his name was supposedly Bourglay. A wanderer, he gained the nickname “Leatherman” from the curious leather suit he wore and the leather knapsack he carried. From around 1860 until his death in 1889, he walked a circuitous, 360-mile route from Old Saybrook, CT, to the Hudson River. Along the way, he lived in caves and crude huts of his own construction. He always cut and left wood at each stop in preparation for his next visit. In 1879, strict anti-tramp laws made the Leatherman more cautious and reclusive, but in Wilton he was always welcomed by residents. He would accept food and small gifts from children with a shy smile, but he never entered a house or spoke.
Anonymous Gift
2017.5.1 A,B