Salem Public Library (Massachusetts)

Last updated
Salem Public Library
Salem Public Library.jpg
Salem Public Library, former house of sea captain John Bertram
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States
TypePublic
EstablishedDecember 1, 1887 [1]
Location Salem, Massachusetts
Other information
DirectorTara Mansfield
Website Official website

The Salem Public Library is a public library at 370 Essex Street in Salem, Massachusetts. The library building was constructed in 1855 for John Bertram, a prominent sea captain, and his family. [2]

On December 1, 1887, the Bertram family wrote a letter stating their intent to donate the Italianate style mansion to the city of Salem for use as a library, and the city accepted the offer. The library opened its doors on July 8, 1889. The library is part of the North of Boston Library Exchange (NOBLE), a consortium of 26 public and academic libraries, and is located within the Chestnut Street Historic District. [3]

Related Research Articles

Essex County, Massachusetts County in Massachusetts, United States

Essex County is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the total population was 809,829, making it the third-most populous county in the state, and the eightieth-most populous in the country. It is part of the Greater Boston area. The largest city in Essex County is Lynn. The county was named after the English county of Essex. It has two traditional county seats: Salem and Lawrence. Prior to the dissolution of the county government in 1999, Salem had jurisdiction over the Southern Essex District, and Lawrence had jurisdiction over the Northern Essex District, but currently these cities do not function as seats of government. However, the county and the districts remain as administrative regions recognized by various governmental agencies, which gathered vital statistics or disposed of judicial case loads under these geographic subdivisions, and are required to keep the records based on them. The county has been designated the Essex National Heritage Area by the National Park Service.

Peabody, Massachusetts City in Massachusetts, United States

Peabody is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 54,481 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. Peabody is located in the North Shore region of Massachusetts, and is known for its rich industrial history.

Salem, Massachusetts City in Massachusetts, United States

Salem is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located in the North Shore region. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports trading commodities and slaves in early American history.

Danvers, Massachusetts Town in Massachusetts, United States

Danvers is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts. The suburb is a fairly short ride from Boston and is also in close proximity to the renowned beaches of Gloucester and Revere. Originally known as Salem Village, the town is most widely known for its association with the 1692 Salem witch trials. It was also the site of Danvers State Hospital, one of the state's 19th-century psychiatric hospitals. Danvers is a local center of commerce, hosting many car dealerships and the Liberty Tree Mall. As of the 2020 United States Census, the town's population was 28,087.

Crowninshield family

The Crowninshield family is an American family that has been prominent in seafaring, political and military leadership, and the literary world. The founder of the American family emigrated from what is now Germany in the 17th century. The family is one of several known collectively as Boston Brahmins.

Lawrence and CassandraSouthwick were early immigrants to colonial America and devout Quakers who, along with their children, were severely persecuted for their religious beliefs.

The North of Boston Library Exchange(NOBLE) is a consortium of 26 libraries on the North Shore of Massachusetts working to improve library service through automation. Seventeen public libraries, eight college libraries and one special library are members.

Salem Hospital, a member of Mass General Brigham, is located on the North Shore of Boston, Massachusetts and is the second largest community hospital system in Massachusetts. It offers comprehensive medical and surgical services and includes emergency/trauma departments and a birthplace. It includes Salem Hospital and the Mass General Brigham Healthcare Center in Lynn, as well as outpatient care and urgent care. The Medical Staff includes nearly 800 affiliated physicians representing primary care, family practice and 50 additional sub-specialties. It is affiliated with Tufts University School of Medicine.

Benjamin Pickman Jr. American politician (1763–1843)

Benjamin Pickman Jr. was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.

Peabody Museum of Salem United States historic place

The Peabody Museum of Salem (1915–1992), formerly the Peabody Academy of Science (1865–1915), was a museum and antiquarian society based in Salem, Massachusetts. The academy was organized in part as a successor to the East India Marine Society, which had become moribund but held a large collection of maritime materials in a museum collection at the East India Marine Hall, built in 1825 on Essex Street. The Peabody Museum was merged with the Essex Institute to form the Peabody Essex Museum in 1992. The East India Marine Hall, now embedded within the latter's modern structure, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965 in recognition of this heritage, which represents the nation's oldest continuously-operating museum collection.

East India Marine Society

The East India Marine Society of Salem, Massachusetts, United States, was "composed of persons who have actually navigated the seas beyond the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn, as masters or supercargoes of vessels belonging to Salem." It functioned as a charitable and educational organization, and maintained a library and museum. It flourished especially in the 1800s–1830s, a heyday of foreign trade.

Chestnut Street District United States historic place

The Chestnut Street District is a historic district bounded roughly by Bridge, Lynn, Beckford, and River Streets in Salem, Massachusetts. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and enlarged slightly in 1978. The district contains a number of architecturally significant works of Samuel McIntire, a builder and woodworker who had a house and workshop at 31 Summer Street, and who designed and built a number of these houses, and others that display the profits made in the Old China Trade by Salem's merchants. The district is a subset of a larger locally designated McIntire Historic District.

Endicott Pear Tree

The Endicott Pear Tree, also known as the Endecott Pear, is a European Pear tree, located in Danvers, Essex County, Massachusetts. It is believed to be the oldest living cultivated fruit tree in North America.

Salem Common Historic District (Salem, Massachusetts) United States historic place

Salem Common Historic District is a historic district bounded roughly by Bridge, Derby, and St. Peter's streets, as well as Collins Cove in Salem, Massachusetts, United States.

Harmony Grove Cemetery

Harmony Grove Cemetery is a rural cemetery in Salem, Massachusetts. It was established in 1840 and is located at 30 Grove Street. The cemetery is approximately 35 acres in size and was designed by Francis Peabody and Alexander Wadsworth.

Phillips Library (Massachusetts)

The Phillips Library of the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) is a rare books and special collections library. It is made up of the collections of the former Peabody Museum of Salem and the Essex Institute. Both had libraries named for members of the Phillips family.

This is a timeline of the history of the city of Salem, Massachusetts, United States.

Great House in Cape Ann was a seventeenth century structure built by colonists in present-day Gloucester, Massachusetts. It was later disassembled and moved to Salem, Massachusetts, to be the Governor's house.

John Bertram (Massachusetts businessman)

John Bertram (1795–1882) was a sea captain, businessman, and philanthropist in Salem, Massachusetts and namesake of Bertram, Iowa and John Bertram Hall at Bates College. He is also the founding donor of North Shore Medical Center and the Salem Home for Aged Men, now known as the John Bertram House.

References

  1. "Salem Public Library - SalWiki".
  2. Endicott, W.C., The Fifth Half Century of the Landing of John Endicott at Salem, Massachusetts: Commemorative Exercises by the Essex Institute, September 18, 1878 (Essex Institute 1879), pg. 207-208 https://books.google.com/books?id=IbsTAAAAYAAJ
  3. "About the Library - Salem Public Library". Salem Public Library. Retrieved 2018-10-26.