MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE - LIBRARY HISTORY ---------------------------------- Information located at http://www.nh.searchroots.com On a web site about GENEALOGY AND HISTORY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE and its counties TRANSCRIBED BY JANICE BROWN Please see the web site for my email contact. ---------------------------------- The original source of this information is in the public domain, however use of this text file, other than for personal use, is restricted without written permission from the transcriber (who has edited, compiled and added new copyrighted text to same). ======================================================== SOURCE: History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire Philadelphia: J.W. Lewis & Co., 1885 THE MANCHESTER CITY LIBRARY - page 64 The Manchester City Library was established in September 1854, under the terms of a contract between the Manchester Athenaeum in the city of Manchester, whereby the library of the anthenaeum was transferred to the city, to be the foundation of a free public library. The Manchester Athenaeum was established in February 1844, mainly through the efforts of Hon. Samuel D. Bell, Hon. Daniel Clark, Hon. Herman Foster, Hon. Moody Currier, David Gillit Esq., John A. Burnham Esq., William A. Burke, Esq. and others with the design of founding a library, reading-room and museum. In accordance with the libery policy pursued by the manufacturing corporations towards the public institutions in the city, the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company presented to the Athenaeum the sum of one thousand dollars, and the Stark Mills and the Manchester Print-Works the sum of five hundred dollars each, for the purchase of books for its library. Donations and loans of boks were also made to the library by many of the members of the association, and accessions were made by purchase from time to time from the money derived from membership and the annual tax. For the following ten years the library of the Athenaeum continued to increase in size and value till, in 1854, it numbered nearly three thousand volumes. In 1854, the subject of the establishment of a free public library having been brought to the attention of the City Council by the mayor, Hon. Frederick Smyth, in his inaugural address, a committee was appointed to confer with the managers of the Anthenaeum in relation to the transfer of the library of the Anthenaeum, and a proposition was made by them to transfer gratuitously to the city their library and other property, to form the basis of a public library. This proposition was accepted by the city, and the authority for the purpose having been obtained from the Legislature, the transfer of the library was made to the city in accordance with a contract, dated September 6, 1854, executed by the Athenaeum and the city, and the City Library established on a permanent basis. The contract provides that the city shall annually appropriate and pay to the trustees of the library a sum not less than one thousand dollars, to be expended in the purchase of book and periodicals, and shall, by suitable appropriations, provide for the expense of maintaining the library. The control and management of the affairs of the library is vested in a board of nine trustees, of whom the mayor of the city and president of the Common Council are members ex-officiis. One trustee is elected annually, by joing ballot of the board of trustees and of the aldermen of the city, for the term of seven years. Thus established the library progressed successfully until February 5, 1856, when, by the burning of Patten's Block, in which the library was lcoated, the whole library, with the exception of about six hundred volumes,--the greater part of which were odd volumes,--was destroyed. Immediate measures were taken by the trustees to reorganize the library and replace the books destroyed, and it was reopened to the public July 22, 1856, in rooms obtained in Merchants' Exchange, but subsequently was again located in Patten's Block, when it was rebuilt in 1857. In 1871 the city erected a brick building for the use of the library, upon a lot on Franklin Street, which was given to the city for this purpose by the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company, the cost of which was aobut thirty thousand dollars. In 1881 the increase of the library requiring larger accomodation, an addition was made to the library building, at a cost of nine thousand dollars. The addition nearly doubled the capacity of the library building and provided for the regular increase of the library for many years. At the date of the last report of the trustees, December 31, 1884, there were in the library about twenty-eight thousand volumes, including pamphlets, of which there are about nineteen hundred. Connected with the library is a reading- room, which is supplied with sixty-seven periodicals and newspapers, and the library and reading-room are both open to the public eight hours each day and evening, except Sundays, throughout the year. The late Oliver Dean, who was prominently connected with the manufacturing interests of the city, bequeathed to the library a legacy of five thousand dollars, the income of which is expended by the trustees in the purchase of scientific, mechanical and technical works, and designated as the "Dean Fund Purchase." In 1872 the Hon. Gardner Brewer, of Boston, Mass., presented to the library a collection of six hundred and eighty-three volumes of the Tauchnitz edition, uniformly and handsomely bound, which is known as the "Brewer Donation." In 1876 Hon. Moody Currier presented the library with Bohn's Standard, Classical, Illustrated, Ecclesiastical, Scientific and Antiquarian Libraries, and Harper's Select Family Library. To these he subsequently added a number of valuable works on ecclesiastical history, and a collection of Greek, Latin and foreign authors in the original texts. The number of volumes in this collection now amounts to eleven hundred and forty-seven volumes, which are known as the "Currier Donation." Under the will of Mary E. Elliot, late of this city, the sum of two thousand dollars was bequeathed to the city of Manchester, to be securely invested, and the annual income thereof to be spent in the purchase of medical books and periodicals. This amount became available in the early part of the year 1885, and the income when sufficient will be placed in the class of books indicated, which will be placed in alcoves by themselves and designated as the "Elliot Fund Purchase." A large number of other citizens have also, from time to time, generously aided in the increase and usefulness of the library by donations of valuable books and files of newspapers. The volumes in the library are well selected as to use and value, and the whole collection contains a fair representation of every department of English literature, as well as the sciences and arts. In the selection of books for the increase of the library it has always been the policy of the trustees, while providing a reasonable number of books of a more temporary character as the demand from the patrons of the library for the same seemed to require, to expend by far the larger part of the amount appropriated by the City Council in the purchase of works of permanent value. This course, pursued for so many years, has made the library one of the most valuable in the State. The library is particularly valuable in the number of volumes relating to local history and in its files of newspapers, many of which, if destroyed, could not be replaced. The first Board of Trustees consisted of Samuel D. Bell, Daniel Clark, Ezekiel A. Straw, Samuel N. Bell, William C. Clarke, David Gillis and William P. Newell. In 1862 David Gillis removed from the city and was succeeded by Samuel Webber. Mr. Webber served as trustee until September 1864, when he resigned, he also having removed from the city. The vacancy thus occasioned was filled by the election of Phinehas Adams, who continued in office until 1876, when he was succeeded by Moody Currier. Upon the death of Samuel D. Bell in 1868, Waterman Smith was chosen to fill the unexpired term, and was succeeded in 1873 by Nathan P. Hunt. Upon the death of William C. Clarke in 1872, Isaac W. Smith was elected a member of the board. Samuel N. Bell resigned in September 1879, and Lucian B. Clough was elected to fill the vacancy. Ezekiel A. Straw died in 1882 and was succeeded by Thomas L. Livermore. The present board therefore consists of Daniel Clark, William P. Newell, Nathan P. Hunt, Lucian B. Clough, Thomas L. Livermore, Moody Currier and Isaac W. Smith, and the mayor and president of the common council. The first treasurer of the trustees was Samuel N. Bell, who held the office until he resigned in September 1879, when he was succeeded by Nathan P. Hunt. William C. Clarke was clerk of the board from its organization until his death in April 1872. Isaac W. Smith was chosen to fill the vacancy in January 1873. Mr. Smith served as clerk until January 1876, when he resigned and Nathan P. Hunt was elected in his place. At the organization of the library, Francis B. Eaton was chosen librarian and served in that capacity until September 30, 1863, when he resigned and Marshall P. Hall was elected to succeed him. Mr. Hall served until June 1865, when he also resigned and Benjamin F. Stanton was appointed to fill the position. The latter resigned in April 1866, when Charles H. Marshall was elected. Mr. Marshall held the office until July 1, 1877 when Mrs. Lizzie B. Davis was elected, and resigning July 1, 1878, was succeeded by Mrs. M.J. Buncher, the present incumbent. [Webmaster's note: The current building was constructed through the generosity of the president of Amoskeag Paper Mill, Frank Pierce Carpenter who offered to construct a library building in the memory of his wife Elenora Blood Carpenter (who died in January, 1910). This building, located on Pine Street (between Concord and Amherst Streets), was opened on November 18, 1914.] (end)