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Boston Public Library - Charlestown Branch

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Charlestown.MA:Image:Library
There were no public libraries in Colonial America, so a library collection was housed in various buildings around Charlestown. After the Revolution, private lending libraries began to spring up. In 1853, a citizens petition for a public library was presented to City Hall but was not acted upon. In 1860, an public library ordinance was finally passed, guaranteeing public funding and setting up a 9-member board of trustees. Finally, in 1862, the Charlestown Public Library was opened on the second floor of the Warren Institution for Savings. In 1869, it moved to more a spacious and elegant location in the new City Hall in City Square. The branch was then moved to the corner of Monument Square in 1913, to allow the demolition of the City Hall and its replacement by the current courthouse and municipal services building. In 1970 the Branch was moved to its current location, a more accessible and well-trafficked venue, otherwise known as Thompson Square. As a matter of fact, the Thompson Square Theatre operated from 1915 until 1970 in that very spot, until it was demolished to make way for the library. The Marr & Colton pipe organ from the theatre still exists, and the current owner, Pete Haskell, maintains a website dedicated to its acquisition and installment here.

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