Bristol County Savings Bank first home of the Taunton Public Library

1870

An ordinance establishing the Taunton Public Library was passed by the City Council on March 21, 1866. Three Taunton libraries, The Taunton Social Library, The Young Men’s Library Association, and the Taunton Agricultural Library Association, agreed, at the urging of Mayor Edmund Bennett, to combine their collections into a free public library. The joined collections numbered 6,000 books, with magazines and newspapers to be added as soon as possible in order to establish a Reading Room. The first priority was a location suitable for this large collection, one that could be opened to the public, and provide shelving space, meeting space, and house the newspaper Reading room.

“After due inquiry, no place was found combining the advantages of ease of access, quiet, light, and convenient arrangement, to so great a degree as the rooms occupied by the Social Library in the Savings Bank Building. Those rooms were accordingly hired by the Trustees, and have been fitted up in as convenient a manner as the somewhat limited space would allow.” [TPL Annual Report, 1867, p. 9]

Opened for public use on August 13, 1866, the Trustees realized immediately that the small rooms, while accommodating the collection, could not accommodate both books and patrons together. They began calling for new lodgings and help from “wealthy and public-spirited citizens” to foot the bill. The library stayed in these quarters, expanding to occupy the whole top floor of the bank in 1873, until November 1904 when it moved to its current home on 12 Pleasant Street. This new library was funded in part by the citizens of Taunton and a financial gift of $70,000 from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, the most wealthy and public-spirited citizen ever to support the nation’s public libraries.

1903

Stereoscope circa late 1800s early 1900s

Stereoscopes are sometimes called stereo viewers and often, in error, stereopticons which were much bigger viewers resembling a slide projector and used glass slide technology.  Stereoscopes are not as sophisticated, expensive, or as hard to use as stereopticons.  For these reasons, they could be found in many homes, social clubs, and libraries throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s.   Taunton ‘s  own Renaissance man*, Ralph Davol, enjoyed these amusements so much that he persuaded his fellow  trustees of the library  to purchase 3 stereoscopes and 60 view cards in August 1907.    Nearly one year later, in June 1908 he easily won approval to buy one more device and another collection of viewer cards.   He felt their inclusion into the library’s collection brought not only a fun diversion to city residents but also presented to them wonderful archeological and majestic worldwide sights.  A neighboring patron donated several collections of cards to the library some years later.

However, like the above mentioned stereopticon, the images on the viewer cards began to take on an unsavory, “peep” show aspect, and when combined with the fascinating development of motion pictures, stereoscopes soon fell out of popularity.  Check out the display cabinet opposite the front desk to see a stereoscope up close.  The view cards are from the library’s collection.  We even found some of the more risqué views (appropriate for public viewing) to show you.  Whether they came from the donated collection or the collections purchased by Mr. Davol we are not sure.  As we said, he was a true renaissance man!!

I am Maydell Murphy, first woman director of the Taunton Public Library.

Maydell Murphy (1885-1965; head librarian 1932-1954)

I was born in 1885 and began my teaching career at Taunton High School in 1915.  I became high school librarian in 1926 until my appointment as head librarian at the Taunton Public Library on February 24, 1932.  One of my first duties as head librarian was to make the reading rooms located over each fire station in the Whittenton, Weir and East Taunton sections of the city into full library branches.  I was committed to developing the most highly educated and library trained staff I could and urged the city to upgrade salaries to professional standards. I worked diligently with the local school department to install books in each school and desired the building of a library wing for our children’s services.  I saw the effects of the Great Depression upon our ability to serve the public and was happy that we could meet patrons’ needs during those most trying times.   During World War II, I readied the library for blackout nights and air raids; I never thought about that when I applied for the position of head librarian!     I had great fun writing my  weekly column for the Taunton Daily Gazette, “The Library Corner”,  mixing my love of the arts with my love of the library and a good book or two.     I absolutely loved the theater, and acted in several local plays while in the Taunton Woman’s Club.   I retired from the library in 1954 after 22 years of service.  Now I could concentrate on my painting, trying to capture the cherished places I had travelled to.    I share with you my thoughts upon my retirement as head librarian where the Board of Trustees and I  “watched  the library grow from a specialized institution used by the few into a community-wide service.  I am proud to have shared in this work, and my loyalty to you and to my city goes deeper than words.”