The Monroe County Library System’s Lawrence A. Frost Collection of Custeriana started with a podiatrist and a pair of boots. Dr. Lawrence A. Frost wore many hats in his lifetime. He was a noted podiatrist, served as Mayor of Monroe, and sat as President of the Monroe County Historical Society but his passion was studying and collecting Custeriana. It started innocently, his neighbor, Colonel Brice Custer (Grandnephew of General George Custer) gave him a pair of the General’s boots which sported a hole from a gunshot. He knew nothing of the General so he decided to seek out more about the man who wore the cavalry boots. Once he opened that first book, he could not stop and he spent his life studying, collecting and lecturing about the life of General George Armstrong Custer.
Dr. Frost became a noted author and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1986 for his book Custer’s 7th Cavalry and the Campaign of 1873. The Monroe County Library System has a circulating collection of Dr. Frost’s books, we invite you to check one out.
Here are just a few:
Read about the life of Dr. Frost in:
Dr. Lawrence Frost: A Fond Remembrance by Tom O’Neil
After Dr. Frost’s death in 1990, his friend, Rylance Lord, penned a poem in honor of Dr. Frost and his “5-cent tour” which he would give to anyone interested in Custer that visited Monroe. These few lines are taken from the much longer poem titled Dr. Larry Frost’s “5-cent tour”….
Larry loved to share this “deepest affection” – His Labor of Love –His Custer Collection
And when that concluded and you started to rise, Larry had conjured up one last surprise.
You had begun to wonder when this “tour” would end – though, to maintain an interest, you’d NOT have to pretend.
It was back to his house with his guest fast in tow – For Larry had one more nice thing left to show.
A pair of boots –“worn by the General himself”, proclaimed the dapper and spry 82-year old “elf”
The shine and the soles and the bullet’s depression…all helped to create a lasting impression.
Dr. Frost’s Collection continues to help students of Custer from all around the world. You are invited to make an appointment to see the collection and learn more about the man who wore the Cavalry boots. Please contact the Collection Curator at 734-241-5277.