From the Library: Library is historic and modern

A historical church outside of Harvard Square caught fire this past Sunday and the building, including a much-loved chapel, was all but destroyed. The flames began while parishioners were worshipping and the alarms sounded. No one was hurt and the Cambridge Fire Department was prompt and effective. What was most striking to me, however, was the intense passion and grief displayed for the actual building, the spiritual home of a congregation. Many felt that their own history had dissipated along with the fire.

It is our nature as humans to identify with the brick and mortar, the clapboard and granite of our lives. Many of us leave memories behind in the houses we leave as we move on in life. Yet, we expect that our places of worship, education, recreation, and culture will be there when we return to them. This must be especially so in Norwood, a town of deep familial and community roots.

When the Morrill Memorial Library was renovated at the turn of the century in 2000-01 it was important to many Norwood residents that the library’s historical granite exterior and original footprint be retained. Equally important was that the lovely hardwood moldings and casements, stained-glass windows and staircases be returned to their original glory. It is apparent to all who walk into the library in 2009 that the building was graciously restored and remains lovingly maintained.

What many 21st Century residents may not know is that the library’s earliest conception predates construction of the White House in Washington, DC. The early library was quite a bit humbler than that of today. It was simply the 98-volume personal library of Rev. Jabez Chickering and was housed at the Congregational Church Society of South Dedham. In 1800 the Social Circulating Library requiring a paid membership began with this collection. After a donation of $400 for new books by Reverend Chickering in 1812 the small library grew to 1,500 volumes. In 1873, however, the town received the collection in a new public library on the second floor of what was called the Hartshorne Block for “the education and entertainment” of Norwood residents.

In 1886 the collection, now expanded to 5,000 volumes, moved to the Village Hall.

It was in 1898 that the present building opened on a town historic site – where Aaron Guild dropped his plow, abandoned his ox, and hightailed it to Lexington and Concord to fight for independence in 1775.

There are many details regarding the history, benefactors, and construction and library rules and regulations that can’t be included in the space here. Interesting trivia written in the Official Commemoration and Chronicle of the 100th Anniversary of Norwood will bring chuckles to some. The fine for not returning a book at the “proper time” was voted to be “12 1/2 cents per volume” in 1836. Members of the Social Circulation Library “could take out one book or more a month, provided the original cost of the books did not exceed 12 shillings.”

In 1865 the librarian’s salary was $5 a year. It was increased to $8 a year in 1866. Thank goodness librarians have come some distance in wages since then.

Suffice it to say that additions in 1928 and 1965 were necessary for the growth of the Norwood community. The 1928 addition added on the Plimpton Wing that now includes the Simoni Community Room. The 1965 addition extended the front of the library down the lawn towards Walpole Street. Towards the end of the 20th Century a renovation of the existing and original space made for a modern, technologically proficient community space. Yet, throughout these changes the original Norridgewock granite brought down from Maine remained carved into the hearts and minds of Norwood residents. Everything about this graceful historic public institution reminds library visitors that a piece of the 19th Century had placed its roots on Walpole Street and remained intact.

Many visitors to the library (and indeed the aging staff themselves!) tell stories of this library to those of us who haven’t had the good fortune to know it for a lifetime. Teenagers of years ago studied under the eaves at tables in the attic of the library in what is now the Trustees Meeting Room. Children climbed the stairway to the Children’s Room in what is now the Technical Services office on the third floor. In the earlier part of this century fireplaces glowed and the stained glass windows in the Cushing Reading Room scattered light across stacks of books and reading tables.

My second floor office itself saw several incarnations throughout the years. Through its leaded glass windows framed in wood from trees grown many centuries ago I can hear the chimes of the original grandfather clock that has graced this building for over one hundred years. Through high windows to the north the sunlight streams into a space that has housed a commitment to public service for well over a century.

Please visit and view the photographs scattered throughout the library, which remind us of days gone by. Be sure to call or visit the library for all your reading needs: 781-769-0200 and visit our Web site, www.norwoodlibrary.org.

Charlotte Canelli is library director of the Morrill Memorial Library in Norwood.