Civic Pride in a Lost America: Library Postcards
Public Libraries of Massachusetts
Cities O-R
Cities beginning with S are on a new page.
Orange (Wheeler Memorial Library)
(L) No identifiers on reverse, but it was mailed in the 1910s.
(R) Curt Teich 'American Art' card, for Chas. W. Hughes' 'Star Quality' line.
Still in use, with one branch: Moore-Leland in North Orange. It appears that the back wing shown above was expanded at one point in time.
Orleans (Snow's Library)
1877-1952
Fire and blizzard: that combo can destroy the best built library.
Card produced for the Provincestown Advocate: looks suspiciously like a Rotograph brand card.
An E.D. West postcard, with strong similarities to Curt Teich's "Blue Sky" line. If this were a Curt Teich printing job, it would date to 1927, using its plate number.
Osterville
Replaced: a clapboard library doesn't seem a wise choice for fire safety.
A Huntress, Photographer card.
Oxford (Oxford Free Public Library, formerly Charles Larned Memorial Library)
Built in 1902 using funds from a Charles Larned honorarium. Reopened 2000 after major renovation.
Unattributed early postcard, never mailed.
Padanaram
Still in use.
This is an amazing structure: I can't peg its architecture very easily, but might call it Vernacular.
Rotograph brand card with an entire reverse.
Palmer
Built in 1890. Replaced in 1977: still standing. Now a senior center.
I suppose I need not add that this Romanesque building served as a GAR meeting place at one time.
I don't normally scan both sides of a postcard, but this 1904 W.M. Waite card is an exception.
It almost looks as if we have a case of a flipped negative.
The Hugh C. Leighton postcard was mailed in 1914.
Pepperell (Lawrence Memorial Library)
Still in use.
Built in 1901, its architects were Ernest Flagg and W.B. Chambers.
Like Marshfield, Wisconsin's public library, Lawrence also has a collection of stuffed birds.
Fairbanks Card Company product, annotated 1970.
Pittsfield (Berkshire Athanæum)
(L) Leighton & Valentine card.
(R) C.W. Hughes/Curt Teich postcard with white border.
Want to see a few more views? Check out the Library's 140th anniversary page.
What a beautiful building!
Built in 1872, it is also known as the Berkshire Athenaeum, and has also served as a museum. It was renovated in 1897, making pre-renovation postcards scarce, and replaced in 1975.
The new library is next door, and in turn was renovated in 1997 and 2008.
It now houses the Berkshire County Registry of Deeds.
Plymouth
Replaced.
Wintertime view in sepia tint.
Quincy (Thomas Crane Public Library)
Designed by H.H. Richardson himself.
(L) Curt Teich postcard.
(R) Late Tichnor Bros. 'Lusterchrome' card mailed 1967. The Coletti addition is visible off the right side of the library.
Built in 1882; Coletti addition, 1938; renovated 2001.
You can see touches of English Tudor in the eyebrow windows, and precursors of Prairie Style in the windows that are snugged up to the roofline.
Randolph (Turner Free Library)
(L) N.E. Paper & Stationery postcard.
(R) Rotograph card.
Built, 1874: funded by the Royal W. Turner family. Destroyed by arson, December 6, 1962.
Despite diligent reading of the digitized Randolph Town Minutes, I have not discovered whether this crime was ever solved.
In an incredible act of resillience, the Library reopened during the fire, with only six books remaining. At one point, the Library operated out of a station wagon. Talk about selfless devotion to service!
Despite this history, the Library was temporarily decertified in 2007, when it was no longer able to stay open for the mandated 63 hours/week. Today the replacement building is contemplating renovation.