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The North Bonneville Times, May 28, 1937, page 1

SOCIETY SEES BIG COLLECTION OF ROSARIES

The Altar Society of the Catholic Church met at the home of Mrs. Brown in North Bonneville last Wednesday. Those present were Mesdames Monda, Monaghan, Ziegler, Willoughby, Rehla, Smiley, Piper and the hostess. During the course of the afternoon Don Brown showed the ladies his wonderful collection of rosaries numbering 341. This collection is thought to be the largest private one in the United States and contains beads from all over the world. Just this week he received one from Jerusalem which is made of pearl and which is over 150 years old. A new one was also received the past week from Cashi, Italy. A number of the rosaries are made from seeds that have some historic value (made by Mr. Brown himself) Beads made from the tree where the crown of thorns that adorned the head of Christ is also in his collection. A Buddhist rosary has a total of 1054 beads (What penance one must have to go through to recite all of those). Also Mr. Brown has been a medals, statues and other religious articles from foreign countries. Nearly every foreign country in the world has some contribution here as Mr. Browning is in constant correspondence with dealers in these articles throughout the world. Some time ago a letter from a friend in South America a request was made for some more detailed information and pictures on the building of the Bonneville Dam, which he had read about in some paper. Some of the finest silver articles have come from the southern continent. Precious stones and gems are in the collection. He also has other denomination rosaries besides those of the Catholic Church, because that is not the only church that has the religious articles. Besides the above mentioned hobby, Mr. Brown is an ardent stamp collector and has about the most accurate and complete history of Skamania County, and is quoted very often on this phase. He has a remarkable collection of the block houses throughout the United States.