History

COMMUNITY INVITED TO SIGN THE BEAM FOR THE 2025 SAWYER FREE LIBRARY

~ Sawyer Free Library

The 2025 Sawyer Free Library is taking shape, and the community is invited to make their name part of it from February 1-3 on the lawn of the Library’s Saunders House

The Sawyer Free Library invites the community to be a part of history by signing the commemorative steel beam that will be a cornerstone of the renovated, modernized and expanded 2025 Sawyer Free Library. The public beam signing event will take place daily from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm on Thursday, February 1 through Saturday, February 3, on the front lawn of the Library’s Saunders House located on Middle Street at Dale Avenue.

“As we reach this pivotal moment in our Library’s evolution, we are so pleased to extend an invitation to everyone to share in the excitement and pride of leaving their mark on the 2025 Sawyer Free Library,” said President of the Library’s Board of Trustees Mern Sibley. “This act of signing the last beam is symbolic, reflecting our collective commitment to knowledge, growth, and community engagement. We look forward to seeing the beam adorned with the signatures of those who make our Sawyer Free Library truly special.” 

From Thursday, February 1 through Saturday, February 3, from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm, the entire community can sign their names and express their support and excitement about the 2025 Sawyer Free Library. The beam will be set up under a tent on the front lawn of the Library’s Saunders House on Middle Street. Permanent markers will be available on-site, and the Library asks everyone planning to sign the beam to ensure their lasting messages are community-friendly. The Library also encourages people to document this historic moment by taking a picture as they add their signature to the beam, and then tag Sawyer Free Library on Facebook or @SawyerFreeLibrary on Instagram with the hashtag #signthebeam. 

This unique opportunity allows residents, patrons, and supporters to leave their mark on the future of the Sawyer Free Library. The signed beam will crown the newly expanded 2025 Sawyer Free structure in the symbolic beam-topping ceremony scheduled for Friday, February 9, at 10 am, marking the next exciting stage in the construction of this historic project. Due to limited space on the site, the area for the ceremony will accommodate speakers and key stakeholders and the public is welcome to witness the historic moment outside the safety fencing.

“We’re excited about the construction progress and appreciate the outstanding work completed by WT Rich Construction and our subcontractors,” said Library Director Jenny Benedict.  “We hope that everyone from our incredible Gloucester community and beyond joins us in celebrating this milestone by signing their name to the last beam of this historic project and becoming a part of its lasting legacy. The 2025 Sawyer Free Library is a community project in every sense. It is through the support and participation of our residents and visitors that our Library truly reflects and serves our vibrant Gloucester community.”

The Sawyer Free Library is grateful for the tremendous engagement and investment at every level from all parts of the community. The capital campaign is continuing during construction to raise $11M toward our $29M goal. There are still naming opportunities available for donors who may be interested in leaving their legacy, honoring a family member, or aligning their company’s mission and values while supporting the Library, Gloucester and the Cape Ann community. To learn how you can invest in this historic project and make the 2025 Sawyer Free Library a reality, please visit sawyerfreelibrary.org.

The comprehensive renovation, modernization, and expansion of Gloucester’s public Library officially broke ground this past September. The project, which remains on schedule and budget, will take approximately eighteen months and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2025.   

When its doors open, the 2025 Sawyer Free Library will exemplify what a 21st-century public library can and should be in terms of architecture, sustainability, accessibility, use of natural resources and light, wayfinding, lines of sight, air quality, and public safety. The 2025 Sawyer Free Library project will preserve the original exterior, housing an entirely redesigned interior, and will also double the size of the existing Library’s footprint with a 14,000-square-foot addition. 

The 2025 Sawyer Free Library will offer current and emerging public technology, diverse collections, engaging programs, and new dedicated spaces for collaboration, learning, and relaxation. It will feature a digital learning lab, a 100-seat community room with state-of-the-science media presentation equipment, a local history research center, a dedicated teen room, a beautiful expanded children’s room with an early learning center for toddlers, study rooms for individual and group study, a 16-seat conference room, and much more. With its modern and sustainable design, the Library will provide an inspiring environment for library patrons, staff, the community, and beyond. 

W.T. Rich Company of Beverly, MA, is leading the construction of the 2025 Sawyer Free Library. The comprehensive project was designed by a team composed of Oudens Ello Architecture and Dore + Whittier Architecture, Construction Management Firm W.T. Rich, and Library project leaders, along with the vital input of the citizens of Gloucester.

The Sawyer Free Library is temporarily located at 21 Main Street and online 24/7 during construction. The Library remains committed to providing a dynamic and enriching environment for all.  For more information about the Public Beam Signing Event please visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5500. 

Rendering of the 2025 Sawyer Free Library from Dale Avenue

COME SIGN THE BEAM! Be a part of the 2025 Sawyer Free Library

~ Sawyer Free Library

The Sawyer Free Library invites the entire Gloucester community and beyond to be a part of history by signing the commemorative steel beam that will be a cornerstone of the renovated, modernized and expanded 2025 Sawyer Free Library. The public beam signing event will take place daily from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm on Thursday, February 1 through Saturday, February 3, on the front lawn of the Library’s Saunders House located on Middle Street at Dale Avenue.

This unique opportunity allows residents, patrons, and supporters to leave their mark on the future of the Sawyer Free Library. The signed beam will crown the newly expanded 2025 Sawyer Free structure. The beam will be set up under a tent on the front lawn of the Library’s Saunders House on Middle Street. Permanent markers will be available on-site.

The Library also encourages people to document this historic moment by taking a picture as they add their signature to the beam, and then tag Sawyer Free Library on Facebook or @SawyerFreeLibrary on Instagram with the hashtag #signthebeam #SawyerFree2025. 

When its doors open, the 2025 Sawyer Free Library will exemplify what a 21st-century public library can and should be in terms of architecture, sustainability, accessibility, use of natural resources and light, wayfinding, lines of sight, air quality, and public safety. The 2025 Sawyer Free Library project will preserve the original exterior, housing an entirely redesigned interior, and will also double the size of the existing Library’s footprint with a 14,000-square-foot addition. 

The 2025 Sawyer Free Library will offer current and emerging public technology, diverse collections, engaging programs, and new dedicated spaces for collaboration, learning, and relaxation. With its modern and sustainable design, the Library will provide an inspiring environment for library patrons, staff, the community, and beyond. The 2025 Sawyer Free Library is expected to open in the Fall of 2025.

To learn more about and how you can invest in this historic project, please visit sawyerfreelibrary.org.

Sawyer Free Library’s Gloucester Genealogy Group: “Getting Started in Italian Research” 

~ Sawyer Free Library

The Sawyer Free Library is pleased to share that the Gloucester Genealogy Group is back in action and kicking off its monthly meetings this January at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester. 

Researching your genealogy can provide information about where your ancestors lived, what they did, and how they may have lived.  The Sawyer Free Library holds a vast and diverse collection of resources to help you with your research. In addition, each month, the Library’s Gloucester Genealogy Group will present genealogy-related programming, including lectures from guest speakers with expertise in numerous related topics. All events are free and open to the public. Registration is required at sawyerfreelibrary.org. 

On Saturday, January 27 from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. nationally recognized professional genealogist, author and lecturer, Senior Genealogist Rhonda McClure will present virtually to the group at 21 Main Street on “Getting Started in Italian Research.” This lecture looks at how to start researching your Italian ancestors by examining records generated in the U.S. and Italy and what is most important in effectively researching Italian records. 

Then on Saturday, February 17, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., Rhonda McClure will again join the group virtually to share about the importance and details of “Organizing Your Family Papers.” The March meeting will be presented in partnership with the Rockport Public Library. On March 9 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., the Libraries will welcome Michael Brophy, a nationally known, professional genealogical researcher, heir search specialist, and lecturer from the Boston area. This event will occur in the Brenner Room of the Rockport Public Library.

Registration is now open for all three Gloucester Genealogy events at sawyerfreelibrary.org or by calling 978-325-5500.  

Currently the Sawyer Free Library offers a wide variety of local history resources, in person and online, at its temporary location at 21 Main Street. The Library’s Local History Collection contains materials about Gloucester and Cape Ann and written by and about Gloucester and Cape Ann authors. Subjects include local history, genealogy, biography, and some fiction. Materials are in the form of books, hand-printed items, maps, city documents, and more.

The Sawyer Free Library is looking forward to officially opening its renovated, expanded, and modernized space in the fall of 2025 which will feature a Local History Research Center. This new center will revolutionize how Gloucester’s historical research materials are curated, archived, preserved, and accessed, offering an insider’s passport to the rich cultural history of the city and region.

For more information about Sawyer Free Library’s digital archives, local history resources, and services or to register for the Gloucester Genealogy Events, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5500

To learn more about or to invest in the 2025 Sawyer Free Library’s History Research Center, please visit sawyerfree2025.org.

Mark your calendars! Sawyer Free Library & Gloucester 400+ Celebration on Jan 31 at Beauport Hotel – All Are Invited!

~ Sawyer Free Library

Please join the Sawyer Free Library and the Gloucester 400+ on Wednesday, January 31 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Beauport Hotel Gloucester to celebrate the launch of the Gloucester Timeline: An Interactive History and the relocation of the digital Gloucester 400 Stories Project to the Library.

The celebratory community event will feature story-tellers from the community, an interactive Gloucester trivia game, and a demo of the Library’s new interactive research tool. The evening is FREE and open to all to attend. No registration required.

The Gloucester Timeline is the Sawyer Free Library’s legacy gift to the City to commemorate its 400th anniversary.  The Timeline traces Gloucester’s unique history through culturally and historically significant people, places and events that have made Gloucester what it is today. Spearheaded by Sawyer Free Library with support from the Cape Ann Museum and Gloucester City Archives, the Gloucester Timeline also connects people to cultural organizations, archival repositories and historical collections where more information is available. Gloucester 400+ staff have made extensive use of the Timeline in 2023 to illustrate and highlight significant events in our history. The launching of the Gloucester Timeline by SFL makes this new interactive research tool available to the public online.

The collection of stories gathered over the course of the past year has been assembled into the Gloucester 400 Stories Project. This award-winning digital collection of stories, poems and videos, has until now, been available on the Gloucester 400+ website. The collection is about Gloucester people by Gloucester people and is a powerful voice of ordinary and not-so-ordinary citizens. The Gloucester 400 Stories Project too represents a 400+ legacy gift to the City.

Now that the quadricentennial year is over, the Gloucester 400 Stories Project collection will be permanently housed in the 2025 Sawyer Free Library’s new Local History Research Center located on the first floor of the newly renovated, expanded, and modernized Library, the Local History Research Center.

Event Date: Wednesday, January 31, 2024, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Where: Beauport Ballroom, Beauport Hotel, 55 Commercial Street, Gloucester

The event is free and open to all to attend. Registration is NOT required.

For more details visit: sawyerfreelibrary.org or gloucesterma400.org.

GLOUCESTER’S MLK DAY CELEBRATION IN THE MEETINGHOUSE!!!

~ chasnaz

On Monday January 15th at 2:00pm, the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation will present its annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration in the sanctuary of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, located on the green at the corner of Middle and Church Streets (GPS 50 Middle Street). There is an elevator available at the 10 Church Street side entrance for persons with disabilities. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be available. Parking is allowed on the green.

Each year we strive to create a singular, thought-provoking and inspiring event to honor Dr. King’s legacy and vision.  Please join us for an exciting afternoon of presentations, music and audience participation.

Program

Mayor Greg Verga, opening address

Renée Graham, Boston Globe associate editor and columnist, keynote speaker with audience Q&A

Michea McCaffery, Gloucester Racial Justice Team Chair, Gloucester survey presentation, conversation with Renée Graham, and audience Q&A

Gordon Michaels vocalist & ensemble, diverse music based on the Black experience

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in his own voice via audio recording

Paul Revere bell-ringing in commemoration as we depart the Meetinghouse

For those who cannot attend in person the event will be simulcast on the Gloucester Meetinghouse YouTube channel and will be available there afterwards. More information is available at: http://www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org

An Afternoon with “The Color of Light” – this Saturday at the Sawyer Free Library

~ Sawyer Free Library

Join Heather Atwood as she presents her video series “The Color of Light” on Saturday, January 6, 2024 at 2 pm at the Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester.

Cape Ann’s past and present swells with important artists who have responded both to history’s artistic movements and to this region’s specific inspiration.  Many of these artists’ works are represented in museums and collections around the world, but history has dimmed our awareness of them.  “The Color of Light” is a series of videos telling the lives and exploring the works of many of these artists, making certain their influence and significance on Cape Ann endures.

Artists have been coming to Cape Ann for over 200 years, inspired by its alchemical mix of rock, sea, and air. In “The Color of Light,” Atwood tells the stories of some of Cape Ann’s most talented artists, some of whose influence has been at the national level but about whom little is known. By sharing these stories, Atwood seeks to demonstrate how rich and significant the Cape Ann artistic tradition has been and continues today.

Join us Saturday, January 6 from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. at the Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main Street. The free event is open to all to attend. No registration is needed. For more information, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5500.

Equity in the Archives: How History is Told

~ Sawyer Free Library

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12 at 11:00 a.m. at Cape Ann Museum

On Tuesday, December 12 at 11:00a.m. Cape Ann Museum will be presenting a panel discussion, Equity in the Archives: How History is Told with Julie Travers, Local History Librarian at the Sawyer Free Library; Miranda Aisling, CAM Head of Education & Engagement; and Trenton Carls, CAM Head Librarian & Archivist  

Presented in conjunction with Above the Fold: The Photographers of the “Gloucester Daily Times,” 1973-2005, this panel discussion explores how archives, timelines, and historical language have been newly examined and intentionally expanded during the Gloucester 400+ Anniversary in 2023, which marks 400 years since English settlement. 

Julie Travers, Local History Librarian at the Sawyer Free Library and Miranda Aisling, CAM Head of Education are both members of the Gloucester 400+ Diversity & Equity committee. They will share the efforts that went into drafting the Gloucester 400+ DEIA Framework which has been used by organizations across the region to expand their storytelling during the anniversary year. This framework was used by Travers to help guide the creation of the Gloucester Timeline, a massive undertaking from the Sawyer Free Library in association with the Cape Ann Museum, and by Aisling in the development of the CAM Native Initiative.  

They are joined by Trenton Carls, CAM Head Librarian & Archivist who will share the impact of the 2021 acquisition of an estimated 1 million photographs from the Gloucester Daily Times collection to the CAM Library & Archives. The photographs provide a wide lens on the Gloucester community from 1973-2005, bringing photographs into the Museum’s collections that highlight the breadth of the Cape Ann community during those years. 

The event will take place at Cape Ann Museum located at 27 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, MA.  It is Free for Museum members, $10 for non-members. Click HERE to register. It will also be Livestreamed on Vimeo and Facebook.

For more information about Sawyer Free Library’s digital archives, local history resources, and services, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org.

‘REFUSING TO PAY,’ GLOUCESTER’S ROLE IN THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE AND BUILDING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN AMERICA, NOVEMBER 18TH AT 2:00PM IN THE HISTORIC 1806 MEETINGHOUSE AT 50 MIDDLE STREET

~ chasnaz

This three-part program was specially created for Gloucester’s 400th Anniversary Celebration to share the story of how the Rev. John Murray and Gloucester Universalists in the 1780s set the key New England precedents for the Constitutional separation of church and state and promise of religious liberty throughout the country.

The opening segment is a video made for this occasion that tells the story about how Murray’s followers refused to pay Gloucester taxes in 1782 to support the town’s church system. Their valuables were seized so they had to sue the state to get them back. They won a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling in 1786 that said “a free populace cannot be taxed to support a state church.”

Rev. Murray was in close contact with John Adams and other Founders, so this news traveled quickly to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, providing an important precedent the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause: ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…’

The second segment features a monologue the Rev. John Murray, acted by Charles Nazarian, who magically returns to the Meetinghouse, sharing details about what happened around the famous court case. He will also explain how they also won a counter suit, brought by Gloucester Congregationalists, which eventually compelled the Massachusetts legislature to legally recognize diverse churches as well as Jewish synagogues.

The third segment will feature a panel discussion about why the guarantee of religious liberty matters as much today as it did in 1787 and how it remains an essential pillar of our democracy in this period of corrosive politics and culture wars seeking to deny freedom to minorities based upon religious beliefs. The audience will be invited to participate in Q&A with the panel.

A reception with light refreshments will follow at the Sargent House Museum, featuring the engraved silver pitcher that was confiscated from the home of Epes Sargent in 1782 to pay taxes to support the town’s Congregational Church’s expenses.  The museum is the elegant home of Judith Sargent Murray and her husband the Rev. John Murray, featuring exquisite family portraits, furnishings and possessions.

EVENT INFORMATION:  The event is free and open to the public.  The Meetinghouse, home of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, is at the corner of Middle and Church Streets, GPS: 50 Middle Street.  An accessible side entrance with an elevator is located at 10 Church Street.  The Sargent House Museum is located at 49 Middle Street.  For more information please visit: http://www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org

CREDITS:  This event was jointly produced by the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation, the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, and the Sargent House Museum. The video was created by Heather Atwood of 1623 Studios with Jon Brysh of New Leaf Productions. Screening and projection is being provided by the Cape Ann Community Cinema.  This presentation for the Gloucester 400th Celebration will be live-streamed on Channel 6 and will also be later available on YouTube.

Mass Audubon Tree Walk and Talk – Young Gloucester Scientist Club Field Trip

~ Sawyer Free Library

Tweens & Teens – – join the Sawyer Free Library Young Gloucester Scientists Club on a 2-hour nature walk in Historic Dogtown with some experts from Mass Audubon. Learn all about Cape Ann’s native plant life and the importance of trees in our ecosystem while observing and collecting data in our own YGSC nature journals! This is a great opportunity to connect with the natural world and practice vital science skills. This program is suitable for 4th-8th graders.

Registration & Permission Slips are Required. To Register Click: HERE.

For more information, visit SawyerFreeLibrary.org or email:  jllaurie@sawyerfreelibrary.org

The Young Gloucester Scientist’s Club is supported by federal funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. The YGSC is a monthly club for 4th through 8th graders that introduces them to Gloucester Community members with careers across a variety of STEM fields.

“A Little Gloucester History”- Sawyer Free Library’s Local Author Series Kicks Off

~ Sawyer Free Library

The Sawyer Free Library is excited to be presenting a series of local authors reading and sharing insight into colorful historical happenings of Gloucester this summer at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester. All events are in person and open to the public. The series kicks off this Saturday, July 22 with local author and historian Wayne Soini.

Saturday, July 22, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Wayne Soini to present “An Unsuitable Lecture: Thoreau, Walden, and the Gloucester Lyceum” – An unnamed critic for the Gloucester Telegraph declared that Henry D. Thoreau’s lecture was “unique” before he took umbrage and condemned it as “not exactly suitable for a Gloucester audience.” 175 years ago, in December 1848, Thoreau auditioned his upcoming book, Walden, before an audience of Gloucester folks at the Gloucester Lyceum (today, the Legion Hall).

Wayne Soini, a local author, through the lens of Thoreau’s controversial performance in Gloucester of “Economy,” which evolved into Chapter One of his classic book, will share more about the man Henry D. Thoreau and the writing (and rewriting) of Walden.

Thursday, July 27, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., June Vail, Folly Cove Sketches: Remembering Virginia Lee – An author-talk with June Vail, Professor Emerita in the Department of Theater and Dance at Bowdoin College, about her book Folly Cove Sketches: Remembering Virginia Lee Burton. Vail’s new memoir paints a warm, honest portrait of her great-aunt, Virginia Lee Burton, Author and illustrator of beloved mid-century children’s books. Burton’s beloved books, including Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel and Caldecott-winner The Little House, continue to delight generations of parents, children, and librarians. Offering intimate glimpses into Burton’s wide-ranging artistic projects and everyday life, Vail vividly recounts how living with her great-aunt Jinnee in the Folly Cove, Massachusetts, community broadened her teenage perspectives and inspired some unexpected life choices. An open Q and A will follow Vail’s informal, illustrated talk. Books will be available for sale and signing following the presentation. 

Thursday, August 3, 5:30 to 6:30 pm, Dan Fuller, Gloucester Gale: The True Story of the Swordfishing Schooner Dorcas– In “Gloucester Gale,” Dan Fuller tells the true story of Captain Joseph Silveira and the swordfishing schooner “Dorcas” during the August Gale of 1924. In this vivid narrative about men battling against a raging force of nature during the bygone age of wooden ships and harpoons, he reconstructs the events of that hurricane and the schooner “Dorcas,” the impact on the rest of the fleet out at Georges Bank, and their loved ones back in Gloucester. Dan is a direct descendant of Captain Silveira, and this story has been part of his family’s folklore for generations. Dan has always been captivated by the sea and is an avid sport fisherman. He currently splits his time seasonally between Cape Cod Bay and Tampa Bay. Books will be available for sale and signing following the presentation. 

Thursday, August 24, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Ellen Levy: The Saturday Evening Girls in Gloucester –Author Ellen Levy will relay the story of a Boston library group that created magnificent Arts and Crafts pottery at the turn of the last century. Supported by their benefactor, Helen Storrow, the immigrant girls vacationed at Wingaersheek Beach.  In a lively presentation, Ellen will share the stories she gathered while researching for her series of historical fiction books taking place in the 1910s in Massachusetts. 

For more information on the Sawyer Free Library’s Author Talks and the complete schedule of summer happenings at the Library, please visit www.sawyerfreelibrary.org, call 978-325-5500, or 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester. As always, all events are free and open to the public.