Fire Insurance Maps Online (FIMo)

FIMo is a searchable database of color fire insurance maps, real estate atlases, plat books, and other historical maps of Massachusetts. Commonly known as Sanborn maps, these illustrations of high-definition show building structures, construction details, past property uses and their ownership, location of roads, railroads, and many other useful information.

Genealogists, historians, preservationists and others researching cities and buildings will find these maps very helpful. You can access this resource from our databases page. In-library use is available from all of our branches while remote access requires a WPL library card.

Insurance Maps of Worcester, Massachusetts, Volume One, 1936 Sheet 18

Perform an Interactive Map Search or a Place Name Search to find map locations for towns in Massachusetts. Once you identify the map of interest, it can be downloaded as a JPEG image or saved as a PDF document to print. Each map comes with a Key which explains the map symbols and corresponding colors. If the map was revised at any time, the Correction Record would include the dates changes were made.

Key to Volume One, Insurance Maps of Worcester, Massachusetts

For help with search tools and interpreting Sanborn maps, click on the appropriate topic in the drop down menu on the top. 

If you need help researching this database, contact us at 508-799-1655, ext. 3 to speak with a librarian, or email us your question.

Tales of Branch Libraries Past: The South Worcester Branch

As you may be aware, the Frances Perkins Branch Library (formerly the Greendale Branch) was one of three Carnegie-funded library branches in Worcester that opened in 1914, but do you know about the other two built around the same time? Today's blog post will explore the history of a branch that no longer exists: the South Worcester Branch, located at 705 Southbridge Street.

South Worcester Branch Library, circa June 1979

The Backstory

The expansion of Worcester Public Library from Elm Street into additional areas of the city began in the late-19th century with the development of "library delivery stations." Local residents helped fund the first station in the Greendale section of Worcester in 1895, which had delivery/pickup of books by horse and buggy twice a week from the Elm Street library. In 1898, the city council agreed to fund eight library delivery stations at stores and houses throughout the city and a ninth station was added in 1907. By 1910, the library actively advocated for more space, specifically in the form of "suburban" branches and of course, a new and larger central library. The fiftieth annual report of the board of directors indicated that the circulation of the South Worcester station was the lowest of the nine stations, but might benefit by being replaced by a reading room in that section of the city. However, the report indicated they did not have the funds available that year to make any recommendations about the establishment of a branch.

Later that year, the Worcester Telegram reported that Mayor James Logan had written to steel tycoon and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie requesting funds to establish three library branches in Worcester. Logan personally delivered the letter to Carnegie's representative in Scotland and was able to communicate further about the necessity for library branches. Logan received a letter from the representative in July 1910 indicating Carnegie would be willing to contribute $25,000 each for the three new branches (an inflation calculator indicates that $75,000 in 1910 money is roughly $2.5 million in today's money) as long as the city provided the sites and a maintenance fund of at least $7,500 per year for the branches.

The Worcester Telegram reported on June 20, 1911 that Logan had secured three sites for the three prospective branches. Matthew J. Whittall and Alfred Thomas, manufacturing giants in the city, wrote a letter on June 16, 1911 gifting a piece of land in South Worcester on Southbridge Street, "situated between Mr. Thomas' residence and that of Mr. Cody, near the junction of Cambridge and Southbridge streets" (Worcester Telegram, June 20, 1911).

In February 1913, Mayor George M. Wright approved the contracts for the building of the new branches. The Worcester Telegram reported that the South Worcester branch would be built by the Central Building Company and had a contract price of $19,270. Allegedly the branches would be ready to open in October of that year but alas, that timeline was a bit optimistic.

A month later, the Worcester newspapers reported that Andrew Carnegie and his wife would attend the laying of the cornerstones at each of the three branches on March 26, 1913, which leads us to...

Carnegie Comes to Town (and Buys Rubbers)!

"Carnegie Will Lay the Cornerstones Today," Worcester Telegram, March 27, 1913

At 2:12 PM on March 26, 1913, Andrew Carnegie and his wife arrived via train at Union Station to a welcoming party in the waiting room of the station. The party then took five automobiles to the first library on the list, the South Worcester Branch. Approximately 250 people, including the donors of the building site and the library building committee, attended the ceremony at the South Worcester Branch. The architect of the branch, Henry D. Whitfield (incidentally, Mrs. Carnegie's brother), also attended the festivities. Carnegie used a special silver trowel to lay the cement under the cornerstone. The cornerstone for each ceremony contained a hermetically sealed copy box filled with a variety of Worcester documents and newspapers, including English, Swedish, and French language newspapers; public library annual reports; a city manual; book lists; and newspaper clippings about the movement to establish branches. 

Upon the completion of the first ceremony, Carnegie and his party proceeded to the next ceremony at the Quinsigamond Branch, with a slight detour. Unsurprisingly, Worcester can get cold and wet in March, and Carnegie was not wearing appropriate shoes for walking around in the mud. So, he had the chauffeur of his vehicle stop at the First Swedish Cooperative grocery store, which had a shoe department. Andrew Carnegie, the short-statured (he was only 5' 3"!) steel tycoon, spent $1.50 on a pair of size 3 1/2 rubber shoes. 

"Carnegie Invests Part of Fortune for Little Rubbers in Quinsigamond,"
Worcester Telegram, March 27, 1913

After the cornerstone laying ceremonies for Quinsigamond Branch and Greendale Branch, Carnegie visited the Worcester trade school before heading to Union Station to return to New York. Carnegie and his wife departed Union Station in a parlor car at 5:02 PM, less than three hours after they had arrived. March 26, 1913 was the first time in history that Carnegie had established three libraries in one day.

The South Worcester Branch Opens

"Library is Dedicated," Worcester Telegram, February 25, 1914

Eleven months later, the three branches opened to the public. Andrew Carnegie was unable to attend the dedication exercises for any of the new branches but instead sent a lovely letter (which we now have in our Worcester Room Collection) to the then-head librarian Robert K. Shaw. The South Worcester Branch was the second Worcester Public Library branch to open after the Quinsigamond Branch, with a dedication on the evening of February 24, 1914. It opened to the public the next day under the tutelage of librarian, Miss Ella S. Sinnott, and assistant Miss Ethel M. Joney, and contained 1,500 volumes on a variety of subjects. One of the library trustees, Professor Zelotes W. Coombs, spoke at the dedication about how he was ambivalent toward the notion of branch libraries prior to speaking to Mr. Carnegie but that he was inspired by the man. Coombs believed that the branches would "come to be neighborhood centers, about which the life of this part of the city will center and grow" (Worcester Telegram, February 25, 1914).

Letter from Andrew Carnegie to Robert K. Shaw, February 23, 1914

The Worcester Telegram checked in on the new South Worcester Branch three months later and reported that the branch was popular with children and patrons of English birth or parentage (compared to the other branches, which at that time served more patrons who spoke other languages than English). The library branch even carried English newspapers such as the London News. Students from South High School and from the College of the Holy Cross also used the South Worcester Branch. Years later the branch circulated books in other languages, including Greek, Polish, and French.

"South Worcester Branch Library is Smallest but a Haven for Children,"
Worcester Telegram, May 24, 1914

The Branch Through the Years...

During World War I, the South Worcester Red Cross Auxiliary met weekly at the South Worcester Branch to make surgical dressings and knit garments. In November 1920, the Worcester Telegram reported the branch hosted a weekly "Be Square Always Club," which had 130 children attending one of the sessions. That session of the club featured telling of stories and reciting of poems, as well as the projection of mainly color images related to a story using a balopticon (a precursor to the overhead projector). The South Worcester Branch also catered to the needs of the Holy Cross students by supplying copies of newspapers from New England cities, New York, and Philadelphia; as well as requesting books from the Main Library to be delivered to the branch as holds (Worcester Telegram, March 13, 1921). 

We found one incredibly random article while researching this branch: someone broke into the South Worcester Branch in 1938 and stole a pint of pineapple juice that was part of a staff member's lunch (Worcester Telegram, August 27, 1938)!

"Pint of Pineapple Juice Missing at Library," Worcester Telegram, August 27, 1938

The South Worcester Branch organized many great programs through the years, including storytelling contests, a women's fashion program (complete with two models showing off the styles!), film screenings for children and adults, story times, puppet shows, scavenger hunts, and more. 

circa 1977, photo from WPL's Worcester Room

circa 1976, photo from WPL's Worcester Room

In the summer of 1978, Worcester's Office of Cultural Affairs sponsored the painting of a mural by staff and children under the direction of David Small of the Artists' Educational Workshop in the basement of the South Worcester Branch. It contained representations of 100 famous and storybook characters, including R2D2, Snoopy, Curious George, ghosts, tigers, a lion, and of course the characters of Where the Wild Things Are. The basement space was renamed "Max's Room" in honor of Maurice Sendak's book and the branch had an official grand opening for Max's Room on April 18, 1979. 

circa 1978, photo from WPL's Worcester Room

"Sail Away with Max" promotional material for April 18, 1979 event

Program for Grand Opening of Max's Room at the South Worcester Branch, April 18, 1979

South Worcester Branch had the honor of being added to the list of the National Register of Historic Places in March 1980. By Spring 1981, there were seven Worcester Public Library branches (including the newly opened Great Brook Valley Branch), a bookmobile, and of course, the Main Library. Unfortunately, the library's Main South Branch on Main Street closed in May 1981 because the building was sold. While the library sought a new location for that branch, the South Worcester Branch and the bookmobile stepped in to fill the void. However, there were concerns later that year and the following year that budget cuts from Proposition 2 1/2 would lead to the loss of hours and staff at the South Worcester Branch and the other branches.  Bookmobile service was eliminated in 1982 (but resumed a couple of years later in the form of two bookmobiles for youth and older adults) and there were proposals to reduce the number of days open at the South Worcester Branch to either two or three days per week. The end of 1983 was a better year for South Worcester Branch - they were able to open for 32 hours a week, Monday to Friday. The years progressed with library hours at various branches being put on the chopping block.

The End of the South Worcester Branch

The end of the South Worcester Branch came in 1990. After much back and forth about the budget, in April 1990 the library board realized that there were not enough funds in the upcoming budget to keep the branches and bookmobiles open and voted to close the branches in advance of the new fiscal year. In fact, the budget would decrease from $3.2 million in FY 1990 to $1.775 million in FY 1991. In addition to physically shutting the branches, Worcester Public Library would lose almost half of its staff and the Main Library would also have to further reduce its hours. Even though the community rallied to save their beloved libraries, there was nothing that could be done at the time. 

On May 11, 1990, all of the library branches including the South Worcester Branch, shut down. The library did not even have the money to move most of the books out of the closed branches! Bookmobile service was also supposed to shut down due to the cuts but a supplemental budget allowed them to remain on the road for an extra year before being shut down again in 1991. The Great Brook Valley Branch reopened in July 1990 with a grant from the Worcester Housing Authority (see Great Brook Valley Branch Celebrates 40 Years!. None of the other closed branches reopened except for the then-named Greendale Branch, which reopened in 1992 (see On this Date in WPL History: October 26, 1994: Greendale Branch renamed Frances Perkins Branch Library. 

The South Worcester Branch Library property was transferred from the Worcester Public Library to the city's Development Office in 2002 so that it could be sold. The property was sold in October 2002 to a real estate brokerage firm. The former South Worcester Branch building is now divided into two condominiums.

"South Worcester Branch Library" circa 2019, Photo by Elizabeth B. Thomsen

Sources:

"Be Square Always Club Sees Bear Story-Pictured." (1920, November 7). Worcester Telegram, p. 2.

Beaudoin, L. "Books in Branches are Collecting Dust." (1991, May 15). Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. A3.

"Branch Libraries." (1910, September 20). Worcester Telegram, p. 5.

"Carnegie at Three Cornerstone Layings." (1913, March 27). Worcester Telegram, p. 16.

"Carnegie Invests Part of Fortune for Little Rubbers in Quinsigamond." (1913, March 27). Worcester Telegram, p. 16.

Collier, G.A. "Branch Libraries Near Last." (1990, May 9). Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. A3.

Collier, G.A. "Sad Day: Libraries Close." (1990, May 12). Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. A2.

Cowan, M.A. "Worcester's Oldest and Youngest Branch Libraries." (1961, April 17). Worcester Telegram, p. 6.

Dempsey, J. "City Sits on Unused Arsenal: Library Books." (1991, June 5). Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. D1.

Duckette, R. "Library Board Votes to Close Branches." (1990, April 11). Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. A3.

Duckette, R. "Library Outlook Worsens." (1990, May 2). Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. A3.

Foisy, C. "Notes." (1978, July 30). Worcester Telegram, p. 2D.

"For Sub-Stations." (1907, December 1). Worcester Telegram, p. 12.

Hammel, L. "Library Branch Hours May Shift." (1982, October 22), Worcester Telegram, p. 2.

"Holy Cross Men Ask Home News." (1921, March 13). Worcester Telegram, p. 12 C.

Kotsopoulos, N. "South Branch Library Will Soon Go Up for Sale." (2002, February 2). Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. B1.

"Library Budget Cuts to Hit Books." (1981, September 15). Worcester Telegram, p. 5.

"Library is Dedicated." (1914, February 25). Worcester Telegram, p. 7.

"Library Panel to Review Cut." (1981, October 13). Worcester Telegram, p. 3.

"Mayor Approves Library Contracts." (1913, February 1). Worcester Telegram, p. 3.

"Mr. Carnegie Is Guest of Worcester." (1913, March 26). Worcester Evening Gazette, p. 1.

"Mrs. Carnegie Also Coming to Dedication Tomorrow of Three Branch Libraries." (1913, March 25). Worcester Telegram, p. 1.

"Pint of Pineapple Juice Missing at Library. (1938, August 27). Worcester Telegram, p. 2.

"Public Library Stations." (1898, May 7). Worcester Telegram, p. 3.

"Railway Franchise is Granted by Aldermen." (1911, June 20). Worcester Telegram, p. 1.

Seymour, S. "The Story Behind the Stacks." (1985, January 27). Worcester Sunday Telegram, p. F3.

"South Worcester Branch Library is Smallest but a Haven for Children." (1914, May 24). Worcester Telegram, p. D3.

"South Worcester Library Branch Plans Open House." (1983, November 18). Worcester Telegram, p. 4.

"South Worcester Red Cross Auxiliary to Benefit from Whittall Estate Concert." (1918, August 9). Worcester Telegram, p. 6.