Brief History of the Charlestown Public Library

Charlestown’s first public library was founded in the upper rooms of the Warren Institution for Savings, built between 1859 and 1860, at the corner of Main and Henley Streets. Shortly after the bank opened its doors for business, four of its trustees, including Timothy Sawyer, author of Old Charlestown, discussed the best use of the upper floor in the bank building. Edwin Adams, a trustee, told the others of his experience visiting a public library in Lenox, Massachusetts. He felt Charlestown should have the ‘same kind of institution' and suggested that the bank's upper rooms would be the perfect place for Charlestown to establish its own library. He offered to subscribe five hundred dollars towards this purpose. The other three trustees agreed with the need for a library and donated the same amount. It would now be up to the City Council to pass an ordinance establishing a library.

Mayor Dana and the City Council agreed and the ordinance was passed. The City Council earmarked an additional two thousand dollars for the library. In 1860 the Charlestown Public Library was established; in June of that year, the City Council established the library’s first board of trustees. A public meeting was held on July 18, 1860, for the twin purposes of announcing the library to the public and to ask for citizens to take subscriptions, that is to contribute, ‘either in money or books’ towards the library’s establishment. Subscriptions totaled $4317.50.

William Poole, librarian of the Boston Atheneum, was selected to prepare a list of books to be purchased. His suggested catalogue of books was submitted for inspection to several clergymen and a few citizens. They made very few changes. The books were purchased from Crosby & Nichols and Ticknor & Fields. George Poole, William’s brother, was appointed librarian. Jane Edwards and Helen Wise were named assistants.

Coinciding with these burgeoning library plans was the beginning of the Civil War. On November 15, 1861, the library’s board of trustees made its annual report to the City Council. It referred to the attack on Fort Sumpter. The populace had been so absorbed in the conflict that some must have wondered if establishing a library at that time was the most fitting thing to do. As Sawyer writes, however, ‘after it became evident that the work of war and the labor of peace in this section of the country could be carried on together', the library plans proceeded. On the seventh of January, 1862, with ‘a catalogue of something over 6000 volumes’, and a periodical reading room, the Charlestown Public Library was opened ‘for the free use of all its citizens.’

In early 1869 the library moved to Charlestown’s City Hall building. The library remained the Public Library of Charlestown until Charlestown annexed itself to Boston in 1874, when the library became part of the Boston Public Library system. In 1913, the branch relocated to the corner of Monument Square and Monument Avenue, the current location of the Bunker Hill Museum. The branch has been in its current location, at 179 Main Street, since 1970.

Old Charlestown by Timothy T. Sawyer was the main reference source, as well as https://www.bpl.org/locations/16/.