Lost Towns of the Swift River Valley

Lost Towns of the Swift River Valley

by | Nov 16, 2023 | Blog

When the four Quabbin towns were disincorporated in April of 1938 it was more than just a legal decision. Families which had lived in the towns for generations were forced to move, separating from friends, neighbors and relatives.

Local author Elena Palladino lives in one of the homes whose elements were moved out of Enfield. In her book, Lost Towns of the Swift River Valley, she writes about the former owner of the house, Marion Andrews Smith, and highlights as well two other Enfield residents: Dr. Willard Segur, the country doctor, and Edwin Henry Howe, the postmaster and proprietor of the general store, all of whom had deep personal ties to the Swift River Valley.

Ms Palladino is scheduled to talk on Friday, November 17, at  noon in the Woodbury Room of the Jones Library.

And note that David Brule is scheduled to speak on King Philip’s War at noon on Friday, December 1.
Origins of Public Libraries in New England

Origins of Public Libraries in New England

by | Oct 14, 2023 | Blog

Local author Thomas Johnson, Jr, will talk about his recent book, Common PLACE: The Public Library, Civil Society and Early American Values.

‘The book explores who created America’s first public libraries and why they did so, and how these reasons reflected many of the civic and moral values of the time.  These include knowledge and learning as a key foundation stone of the new, growing American society, as well as the egalitarian sense that citizens were to share knowledge and learning widely.’

Join us in the Woodbury Room on Friday, October 20, at 11:30 (note the time) as Thomas Johnson, Jr,  discusses his book.

Lydia Maria Child – A Radical American Life

Lydia Maria Child – A Radical American Life

by | Sep 29, 2023 | Blog

Best known today for the poem “Over the River and through the Wood,” Lydia Maria Child first became famous for peppy household self-help books and charming children’s stories. But in 1833, at age 31, Child shocked her readers by publishing the first book-length history of slavery in the United States — a book so radical in its absolute commitment to abolition that friends abandoned her and patrons ostracized her. But Child’s energetic and unwavering commitment to justice soon drew numbers of converts to the abolitionist cause, transforming her into one of the foremost authors and activists of her generation.

Join us on Friday, October 6, as Dr Lydia Moland of Colby College talks about her fascinating, detailed  biography of this remarkable woman, and of the challenges her life poses for us today.  Dr Moland’s presentation will be held at noon over Zoom; the address is:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82493131003