THE LOCAL HISTORY ROOM at the Watertown Free Public Library is crowded with suited, wizened gentlemen glaring sagely into the middle distance. Have you noticed this? I’m talking about the artwork. On all four walls of the Library’s quietest room, local big wigs, doctors, bankers, and library donors stand watch. There are eleven paintings and… Continue reading Most of the Artwork in Our Library Was Made by (Fascinating, Audacious, Victorian) Women
According to Amazon.com their top selling books of 2019, many of which were published last year or even longer ago, have been Becoming by Michelle Obama, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens; Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis; The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo; Educated by Tara Westover; Girl, Stop… Continue reading The Year in Books: 1869 vs. 2019
“His best thought and life has gone into this little village library; it has been his dream by night, his work in vacations and spare moments…” - Whitney. The Descendants of John Whitney, who came from London, England, to Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1635, by Frederick Clifton, Pierce Meet Watertown’s First Librarian In our Local History… Continue reading Meet Watertown’s First Librarian
In honor of our 150th anniversary celebration I sat down with our longest serving staff member, Pat Farrell. As a young teen, Pat used to hang out with her friends at the East Branch of the Watertown Library. She was hired to work there as a page, shelving library books, at the ripe old age… Continue reading 55 Years at the Library
As we dive into our celebration of the library’s 150th anniversary, I found myself wondering about the 100th. Here’s a time machine to take you back half a century. 1969 was, by any standard, a momentous year. Woodstock, Apollo 11, and Stonewall made headlines as burgeoning social and political movements roiled the U.S. and the… Continue reading WFPL at 100
At the WFPL, time is very much on our minds these days. Naturally, with the start of the new year, we have fresh planners in our pockets and blank calendars on our walls. In 2019, we will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the library, so we’re gearing up for a year’s worth of festivities. And… Continue reading A Triumvirate of Timepieces
Did you know that there are two unique globes in Watertown’s past? The Watertown Free Public Library holds sketches and a patent for one, whose creator is profiled below; the other resides at Perkins, where its 13-foot circumference continues to attract students and visitors alike. Behind each globe lies a tale of a local innovator… Continue reading A Tale of Two Globes
