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Topsfield Town Library

Page history last edited by abrandenburg@mvlc.org 5 years, 7 months ago

The Topsfield Town Library was founded in 1875 by residents interested in establishing a free library.   The original library collection dating from 1794 was housed in the Town Hall. 

 

After purchasing land located at the corner of High Street and Main Street, Topsfield Town Library trustees, George Francis Dow and Franklin Balch hired architect Harold Field Kellogg to draw plans for a separate library building.  It was not until 1934 that the town had secured enough federal funds to complement a $1,000 donation received from George Francis Dow and a $15,000 bequest from David Pingree, that the library could be built.  The free standing library building opened in 1935.  As the community grew and information needs changed, additions and alterations were made to the library.

 

The most recent renovation and construction project resulted in the opening of the current library facility in 1999.  The reinvented library offers space for public meetings,  computer workstations, and Internet access.1

 

The Topsfield Town Library strives to "...offer equal access to all collections, programming, and information services to the townspeople of Topsfield, Massachusetts as well as those from surrounding communities."2   The library is a member of the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium.

 

Bibliography

1. Panella, J. & Groblewski, H. (2001). The History of the Topsfield Town Library. [MA] : E. T. Johnson & Associates. View in the Library Catalog

2. Topsfield Town Library. (2009). Topsfield Town Library Long-Range Plan 2011-2016, 12. Topsfield, Mass.: Topsfield Town Library.

 

Further Reading

 

Dow, G. F. (1940). History of Topsfield Massachusetts. Topsfield, Mass. : The Topsfield Historical Society. (Reprinted 1982).  View Library Catalog record; read online at the Internet Archive.

 

External Links

Topsfield Town Library

 


Contents

Topsfield Times: A Community and Local History Resource

WKT

 

 

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