It is difficult to overstate the contribution of the Palmer family to Connecticut College. It contributed founders and trustees at the very beginning of the institution, and a library and auditorium in the College's formative years. The private collections of George S. and Elisha Loomis Palmer also laid the foundation for the College's Special Collections. The collection was housed in a room on the second floor of the Palmer Library, furnished with Renaissance European chairs and tables from the family's extensive collection and it reflected the brothers' interests in English and American history, literature, and travel.