History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 83

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1576

USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I > Part 83

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These anticipations were fully realized, for the audience that evening was the largest of any during the course, numbering about nine hundred and fifty.

That the course of lectures, as a whole, was a suc- cess, financially as well as intellectually, is shown by the following, taken from the "First Annual Re- port of the Board of Directors of the Fitchburg Athenæum."

The average attendance upon the lectures was about 750 ; the largeet Dumber present at any one time was probably 950, which was on the evening of the first lecture in the new Town Hall. About 725 tickets were sold for the whole course, and ahout 950, in all, for single eveQ- jags. The gross proceeds of the lectures amounted to $630.69, the ex- penses of the course to $411.25, leaving a surplus of $219.44 to be applied to the uses of the Library.

From this same report we also learn that five bun- .

dred and fifty books were purchased during the year and about forty-five donated; and these, with the four hundred and thirty-five volumes in the library trans- ferred from the Fitchburg Library Association, made a total of over a thousand volumes, which, thirty-five years ago, might well be considered a very good-sized library.

At any rate, it is certain that the officers and men- bers of the Fitchburg Atheneum had every reason to be fully satisfied with the results of the association's first year of existence.

Lack of space forbids our speaking at greater length of the Athenaeum and its work. For several years more it continued in a prosperous condition, and in 1858 had a membership of one hundred and sixty, and a library of about fifteen hundred volumes.

The time was then near at hand for the establish- ment of a free town library ; the Athenaeum, as had been the case with the library associations preceding it, had fulfilled its mission and was soon to be absorbed by a library of larger scope and greater permanency.

THE FITCHBURG PUBLIC LIBRARY .- In 1851 the Legislature enacted a law which provided that any town or city, so desiring, might appropriate a sum, not exceeding one dollar for each ratable poll, for the establishment of a free public library.

At the time when preparations were making for the organization of the Athenæum, in 1852, some of the citizens were rather in favor of changing the plan and organizing a town library, as provided for by the stat- ute of the preceding year. There was much uncer- tainty, however, as to whether the town would vote the money at that time or not, and the idea was not pushed.

By 1859 the town of Fitchburg was ready to take measures to secure a free public library. It must be admitted that Fitchburg was rather slow in taking action on this matter. Our neighbor, Leominster, had a public library some three years before ours was established.

The subject was debated by the citizens of Fitch- burg more or less, but no decisively favorable public action was taken in regard to it until the spring of 1859.

The warrant for the annual town-meeting that year was given March 26th, and was the longest warrant since Fitchburg's incorporation. It contained thirty - two articles, the twenty-fifth of which was as follows :

Art. 25 .- To see if the Towo will appropriate the amount allowed by law for the establishment of a Free Town Library, or act anythiog thereon.

The sentiment of the citizens seeming to be in favor of establishing a free library, the shareholders of the Athenæum held a meeting March 31, 1859, to consider the expediency of presenting their library to the town. After much discussion it was decided in the negative, by a vote of twenty-five to fourteen.

Annual town-meeting day in 1859 was April 11th. It was a dull, disagreeable day, but as the citizens were more than ordinarily interested in the municipal proceedings, there was a good attendance. Every one of the thirty-two articles was acted upon in the course of the day, and the people doubtless left the town- house with the firm conviction that they had done a good day's work. And so they had; for, by voting " to appropriate the sum authorized by law for the establishment of a Free Town Library " (this sum being one thousand, eight hundred and thirty-one dollars in the case of Fitchburg), they pledged their money and best efforts to found and perpetuate an institution which has proved to be a great blessing, and whose usefulness and value will increase as the years roll on.

At this meeting the citizens also chose the first board of trustees of the Fitchburg Public Library,

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consisting of the following gentlemen : Goldsmith F. Bailey, Joseph W. Mansur, Dr. James R. Wellman, Dr. Jabez Fisher, Dr. Thomas R. Boutelle, Thornton K. Ware, Hanson L. Read, Moses G. Lyon and John J. Piper.

May 10, 1859, occurred the annual meeting of the shareholders of the Fitchburg Athenaeum; and at this meeting it was voted "to instruct the president and treasurer to sell all the property of the institution, aside from the money in the treasury (about seventy- five dollars), to the town of Fitchburg for four hundred dollars." The town subsequently authorized the purchase of the property for the sum named, and thus came into possession of some sixteen hundred volumes, which made quite a nucleus for the public library. Several members of the Athenaeum very generously relinquished their proportion of the sale, to the amount of $166.84, so that the books really cost the town less than two hundred and fifty dollars.

There was also in town another collection of books, about two hundred in number-the Agricultural Library-which the trustees purchased on very fa- vorable terms.

The trustees entered upon their work with zeal. It was decided to continue the library in the room previously occupied by the Athenaeum, in the town- house (corresponding closely to the present offices of the city auditor and mayor), and it was somewhat enlarged by the addition of the room adjoining in the rear. Mr. Daniel Stearns, who had been con- nected with the Athenaeum as its secretary, was ap- pointed the first librarian of the public library, aud during the summer and autumn of 1859 the books were placed on the shelves and catalogued, new books purchased and all arrangements perfected ; and about the middle of November the following notice ap- peared in the Sentinel :

FITCHBURG PUBLIC LIBRARY.

All persons wishing to avail themselves of the privileges of the Fitch- burg Public Library are requested to open their accounts at once, as it will be impossible to do so io Library hours after the Rooms are open for the delivery of books.

The Library will be open for the purpose of opening accounts with ench as may desire it, until further notice, during the regular Library hours, viz.,-

From 2 to 5 and 7 to 8 P. M. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and from 2 to 5 and 7 to 9 P. M. on Saturdays, holidays excepted.

Notice will be given of the time of opening for the delivery of hooke.

D. STEARNS, Librarian.

Fitchhurg, Nov. 16, 1859.

The first donation to the library was $100 from Thomas Mack, of the firm of C. F. Hovey & Co., of Boston. Mr. Mack was born in Fitchburg, and has, on several occasions, remembered his native town in a similar manner. This generous sum was used for the purchase of the "Encyclopedia Bri- tannica." Seventy-five volumes were presented by Hon. Eli Thayer, of Worcester, and various citizens of Fitchburg donated books. The trustees pur- chased 1200 volumes; so that in all there were over

3500 books on the shelves before the library was opened.

By the last of November, 1859, everything was completed, and the following appeared in the Sen- tinel :

THE FITCHBURG PUBLIC LIBRARY will he open for the delivery of books on THURSDAY, Dec. 1, 1859, at 2 o'clock P. M.

D. STEARNS, Librarian.

It is quite evident that the people of the town freely availed themselves of the privileges offered them, for in the Sentinel of December 23, 1859, it was stated that during the three weeks that the li- brary had been open, 2775 volumes had been deliv- ered and 1937 returned. Over 1200 persons had opened accounts. It was further stated that the hours were insufficient, and "while the present de- mand continues" the library would be kept open every evening, except on Sundays and holidays.

The number of books in the library at that time was given as 3783.

Since then the number of volumes has steadily in- creased, and the figures, at intervals of five years, as given in the Trustees' reports, are 6244 in 1865, 8053 in 1870, 10,676 in 1875, 12,481 in 1880, 16,146 in 1885 and at the present time there are upwards of 19,000 volumes on the shelves in the handsome and commo- dions Wallace Library and Art Building.

The number of persons taking out books has in- creased from fourteen hundred and twenty-five in 1860, to about nine thousand in 1888.

Since the founding of the library four catalogues have been issued, viz., in 1859, 1873, 1881 and 1886. The last is in itself quite a large volume. Much time and care were devoted to its preparation by a gen- tleman skilled in such work, and it is a very complete and accurate catalogue. Supplements have also been printed, in the intervals between the issuing of the catalogues, giving the list of books added from time to time.

As before stated, Daniel Stearns was the first libra- rian, being appointed to the position by the trustees in November, 1859. The names and terms of service of the librarians succeeding Mr. Stearns are as fol- lows : Benjamin P. Todd, from April, 1861, to April, 1862; John M. Graham, from April 1862, to April, 1865 ; Charles N. Fessenden, from April, 1865, to Sep- tember, 1866; Henry Jackson, from September, 1866, to Jannary, 1873; Prescott C. Rice, from January, 1873, to the present time.

The control of the library has, from the beginning, been vested in a board of trustees, chosen annually by the citizens while Fitchburg was a town, and by the mayor and aldermen since the city form of govern- ment was adopted. The number of trustees was nine at first, but later was increased to twelve, the present number.

It is worthy of note that one of the present trustees was also a member of the first board chosen in 1859- Judge Thornton K. Ware. Judge Ware has more-

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over served as a trustee every year since 1859, save one, from April, 1861, to April, 1862, and since 1875 has been chairman.

In 1861, Rev. William P. Tilden, then pastor of the Unitarian Society here, presented to our library a model of a full-rigged ship of war, of his own con- struction. It was a fine and very perfect piece of workmanship, and for years occupied a conspicuous and honored place in the library-room. In 1885 it was transferred to the " Relic Room " in the Wallace Library and Art Building, where it continues to at- tract attention and elicit admiration.

In 1861 the town voted to authorize the trustees to invite the officers and soldiers from this town serving in the army to donate any trophies they might obtain and wish to present to the library for preservation, and in response thereto a number of flags, swords, muskets , shells, etc., were sent by Fitchburg men, and are now to be seen, together with other similar ar icles since contributed (including the elegant sword, sash and belt presented to Colonel Edwin Upton by the enlisted men of the Twenty-fifth Regi- ment) in the relic room.

A sum of money sufficient for the maintenance and suitable increase of the Fitchburg Public Library has been annually appropriated by the town and city.

Hon. William H. Vose, at the time of his death in 1884, left the sum of one thousand dollars to the city of Fitchburg, the income thereof to be paid annually to the trustees and used " for the purchase of periodi- cals or other reading matter for the reading-room."

The library remained in the rooms first occupied until the latter part of 1879, when it was removed to more commodious quarters provided for its accommo- dation in the extension built just previously on the rear of the City Hall building. Here it remained until the summer of 1885, when it was removed to its present elegant and spacious abode in

THE WALLACE LIBRARY AND ART BUILDING .- Early in 1884 one of our most prominent and benevolent citizens, seeing and appreciating the fact that our public library was sorely in need of more ample and fitting accommodations, was prompted by his public-spirited benevolence to make to the city of Fitchburg a most generous proposition.

Before the City Council, in joint convention assem- bled, on the evening of Tuesday, March 25, 1884, ap- peared Judge Ware, who said that he was present at the request of Hon. Rodney Wallace, who, before his departure for the South, a few days previous, had left with him the following communication to be pre- sented to the City Council :

To His Honor the Mayor, and the City Council of the City of Fitchburg ;

GENTLEMEN :- The subscriber has felt for a long time that a building, with proper apportenances, for our Public Library here in Fitchburg was much needed and makea the following proposition, viz. :

I propose to convey by proper deed to the city of Fitchburg my lot of land situated at the corner of Main Street and Newton Place, and to expend, with the advice and approval of the Trustees of the Public Library, within the next two years, a sum not less than forty thousand

dollars ($40,000) in erecting a building on said lot ; said building to be under the care and management of the Board of Trustees of the Publlc Library for the time beiog, and to be used for a Free Public Library, Reading Roome and Art Gallery, and for no other purpose.

And it is understood that the city government, accepting these dona- tions for the above purposes, shall assume and bear the current expenses of said building, grounds and oppurtenances, after the Library Building shall have been completed aod furnished.

If the above proposition is accepted, I shall proceed to carry out the same as soon as it can conveniently be done.

RODNEY WALLACE.

Fitchburg, March 17, 1884.

This was a most complete and gratifying surprise to the members of the city government, and also to all the citizens of Fitchburg when they learned of it, as they very quickly did.

The following order, introduced by Mayor Davis soon after the. reading of the above communication, was unanimously adopted :

Ordered, That the city of Fitchburg accepts the donation of Hon. Rodney Wallace of the lot of laod oo the corner of Maio Straet aod Newtoo Place, aod the Library building to be erected by him thereon, upon the conditions and in accordance with the terms and provisiona contained in his written communication and proposal to the Mayor and City Council ; and places on record its profound appreciation of the public spirit and muoificence of the door, and its recognition of the iocalculable benefits which will result to his fellow-citizens and their descendants and successors for all time from this noble gift.

On motion of Alderman Joel a committee, consist- ing of Mayor Davis, Alderman Joel and Councilmen Flaherty and Parkhill, was appointed to prepare a set of resolutions, thanking Mr. Wallace for his muni- ficent gift ; and at a subsequent meeting appropriate resolutions, prepared by this committee, were read and placed on the records, and a copy forwarded to Mr. Wallace.

At a meeting of the trustees of the Public Library, held April 7, 1884, a resolution was adopted, expres- sive of their hearty appreciation of Mr. Wallace's action, and their desire to co-operate, in every way, with the generous donor in carrying out the details of his proposed undertaking; and a committee, consist- ing of Rev. Philip J. Garrigan, Henry A. Willis and Lewis H. Bradford, was authorized to present a copy to Mr. Wallace.

On the lot of land donated to the city for the library building stood a mansion-house, for many years familiar to our eyes. For a considerable time it was the residence of Dr. Charles W. Wilder, and later of Otis T. Ruggles, Esq. This house was sold at auction May 5, 1884, and soon moved to the lower part of the city.

Work was begun on the foundation of the new library building on June 10, 1884, and from that date to the completion of the edifice, early in the summer of 1885, was continued without intermission, and every portion of the work (which, by the way, was mainly done by Fitchburg mechanics and artisans) was done in a most thorough manner.

The following is a somewhat detailed description of this handsome and substantial building as it stands to-day.

It is built of Trenton pressed brick, with brown

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sandstone trimmings and is in the Greek style of architecture. Its frontage on Main Street is seventy- four feet, its depth sixty-five feet, and there is a cen- tral front projection, six by twenty-five feet.

The front entrance is approached by a wide walk of pressed brick and a flight of twelve steps of dressed granite, between ornamental buttresses of the same material. The front doors are placed in a recess eleven feet wide and six feet deep. Over this recess is a heavy donble arch, supported on either side by two columns of polished red granite with carved capitals. Above the arch are three square-headed, single-light windows and the name of the building in raised letters-the word "WALLACE" above the middle window, and the words, "LIBRARY AND ART BUILDING " just under the three windows. Still above are three circular windows, set in sandstone and round sandstone columns with carved foliage capitals occupying the spaces between the windows. The whole projection is surmounted by a gable with modillion and dentil cornice, all of copper. In the frieze of this cornice is inscribed "1884," the date of erection, with scroll-work either side of the inscrip- tion.

In the window over the doors of the main entrance is the city seal, an exquisite piece of work, npon a plate of Venetian and antique glass, of two thick- nesses, and five feet in diameter ; and in the lower corners of this window are panels of glass emblematic of art and literature.

. Passing through the front doors one enters the entrance hall, floored with Italian marble and wain- scoted with Italian and Tennessee marbles, relieved by rosettes of French red. The ceiling is handsomely frescoed in oil. This hall is lighted by a large brass chandelier.

From the entrance hall one passes into the waiting- room, which is finished in oak and frescoed in neutral tints. Around the sides are placed oak seats, nphol- stered in brown leather.

The delivery counter is beneath the arch opening into the main library room. This book-room is twenty-six by seventy feet and sixteen feet in beight. It is well filled with neat oaken cases, to hold the many thousand volumes, and at either end of the room are large fire-places of brick, sandstone and marble. Connected with this room, at its southwest corner, is a small room for the librarian's nse, and next to that is the elevator, which runs from the basement to the upper story.

On the left of the waiting-room is the room for books of reference, and on the right the reading- room for magazines. Both of these apartments are simply, yet elegantly, finished in oak, handsomely frescoed, and contain large fire-places. All the furniture is of oak. Connected with, and in front of, the reference-room is a small, well-furnished apart- ment for the use of the assistant librarian.

Returning to the entrance hall, one sees, on the

east side, two staircases,-one leading downward to the basement, where is located the public reading- room, which is furnished with a large number of daily and weekly newspapers. In the basement are also the boiler-room and two large apartments used for working-rooms and storage purposes. The other staircase leads upward to the Art Gallery, and is made entirely of marble in the same style as the entrance hall.

Ascending this really palatial stairway, one comes to the upper vestibule, whose high, arched ceiling is most artistically and elegantly frescoed. It is lighted by a magnificent chandelier, of eight burn- ers. made of brass, copper and oxidized silver.

On the right of the vestibule is the Trustees' Room, which is handsomely frescoed, carpeted, finished in mahogany and heated by an open fire-place. All the furniture in this room is of mahogany. Adjoin- ing it is a toilet-room for the use of the trustees.

From the vestibule a door leads directly into the Art Gallery, a room thirty-three by forty-four feet, and thirty-two feet in height. It is lighted entirely from above by corrugated glass panels in the ceiling and windows of the same glass on the four sides of the monitor roof.

The wood-work of the ceiling is frescoed in dark olive and bronze, and the general effect of the cove beneath is a gold scroll upon a light blue background. In the cove are four large paintings, one on each side of the room-" Apollo Musagetes," "Old Masters," " Arts and Sciences " and " Modern Art."

The fresco painting of this room is of the pure German Renaissance style, and is remarkably rich and harmonions in color effect. The dado is a dark olive, relieved by a band of gilt, and the walls for the oil paintings are a Pompeiian red, surmounted by a frieze of rich color and handsome design. Upon these walls already hang thirteen large and valnable oil paintings, the works of well-known artists. These were all presented to the Art Gallery, most of the donors being citizens of Fitchburg. Two were pre- sented by Thomas Mack, Esq., of Boston, and one each hy the late Robert Graves, Esq., of New York, W. G. Beaman, the artist, of Boston and R. Love- well, the artist, of Chelsea.

At the sides and in the rear of the Art Gallery are four smaller rooms. The west room is devoted to photographs, and contains a valuable collection of about three hundred photographic copies of works of art in European galleries, selected for the library some years ago, by Miss Eleanor A. Norcross, a set of fifty photographic copies of works of art in the Corcoran Art Gallery, Washington, D. C., presented by the Corcoran Art Gallery, beside other photo- graphs that have been purchased or presented.

The east room is devoted to engravings and water colors, and is already quite well filled with works of varions artists. Among the many pictures in this room may be mentioned an "artist's proof" engrav-

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ing, "The Jersey Beauties," by Douglass, presented by Henry Hale, Esq., of New York ; a water color, "Gathering Sea Weed, Pacific Coast," by F. A. Mc- Clure, presented by Dr. D. B. Whittier, of Fitchburg ; and a pastel, "Woodland Solitude." by our own townsman, Mr. E. H. Rogers, presented by Hon. Rodney Wallace, who is also the donor of many of the paintings, pictures, etc., that adorn the walls in various portions of the library building.

Of the two rooms in the rear of the Art Gallery, one is used for the exhibition of drawings and other art work by the pupils in our public schools, of which a very creditable display may now be seen there, and the other is the "Relic Room," filled with interesting and valuable antiquities and curiosities, collections of minerals, coins, etc., all of which have been donated.

The works of art, relics, etc., in the Art Gallery and the rooms adjoining are worthy of a much more ex- tended description than is allowed by the limits of this history.

All these rooms are open to the public on Wednes- day and Saturday afternoons, and are much frequented and enjoyed by our citizens, as well as by strangers visiting the city.

The library is open for the delivery of books from 9 A.M. to 9 P.M. every week-day, and the reading- rooms are open during the same hours, and also Sun- day afternoons.

The present librarian, Mr. Prescott C. Rice, has held the position since January 1, 1873, and is aided efficiently by two assistants, Miss Florence R. Dwin- nell, assistant librarian, and Mr. George E. Nutting.

The Wallace Library and Art Building was dedi- cated July 1, 1885. The main library room (the book- cases and delivery counter not being at that time placed in position) was used for the exercises, which were attended by a large assemblage of invited guests and citizens of Fitchburg. Mayor Alonzo Davis pre- sided.

Rev. S. L. Blake, D.D., pastor of the Calvinistic Congregational Society, invoked the divine blessing, after which Mr. Wallace formally presented the building to the City Council in the following words :

Mr. Muyor and Gentlemen of the City Council:

In March, 1884, I made to your honorable board a proposition as follows:

To convey to the city, by deed, this lot of land and, with the advica and approval of the Trustees of tha Public Library, to expend, within two years, not less than forty thousand dollars in erecting a building oo said lot, to be under the management of tha Trustees for the time being, and used for a Free Public Library, Reading Rooms and ao Art Gallery, and for no other purpose. The City Government in accepting this shall assuma and hear tha current expenses of the same.

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 83

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1576

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1576