Dead Sea Scrolls in a cellar in Massachusetts

The Dead Sea Scrolls: Worcester West Side Secret (Joshua Lyford, Worcester Magazine). A detailed account of a little-known episode in the early history of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Worth a read.

There are many footnotes to a fascinating story like that of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the journey they embarked on is interesting from start to finish, but a particularly thoughtful note should be made of the years before the scrolls became so renowned. While their owner tried to drum up interest to sell them, four of the most crucial Dead Sea Scrolls spent five years locked in a safe, housed in the cellar of a quaint, tidy home on Worcester’s west side. From this home, in the shadow of Bancroft Tower, those four scrolls would prove to be just as ancient and intriguing as Samuel believed, and eventually captured world’s imagination.

More on Mar Samuel is here and more on Kando is here and links.