The Ghosts of Buildings Past: Before the Construction of 3 Salem Square

Worcester Public Library's Main Library has officially existed at 3 Salem Square at the corner of Salem Street and Franklin Street in downtown Worcester since its opening in May 1964 but have you ever wondered what was at this location before then? Today we're going to take a look at the history of this site from the 1920s to 1960 by discussing the final occupant of the buildings, the Worcester Knitting Company.

Undated photograph of the Worcester Knitting Company

The Worcester Knitting Co. (also known as the Worcester Knitting Company) officially incorporated in September 1923 at 18 Salem Street, with Abraham S. Persky as the president and treasurer of the company.  The company opened earlier in 1923 and leased the space from M.P. Whittall and Alfred Thomas, both manufacturing leaders in the city. The company manufactured knitted goods and fabrics, including garments such as pants, vests, and especially bathing suits. Through the years, the company would advertise for various factory and administrative jobs in the Worcester Telegram and Worcester Evening Gazette.

Expect Good Summer Trade, Worcester Telegram, February 28, 1925

Advertisement for Experienced Stitchers, Worcester Telegram, August 19, 1929

Advertisement for Inspectors, Worcester Telegram, December 16, 1929

By September 1929, the Worcester Telegram reported that the Worcester Knitting Company wanted to take over the space occupied by the City of Worcester's public school department at 90 Franklin Street (located in the Burns Building), just around the corner from 18 Salem Street. The school department had used that space as executive offices as well as for a manual training school, with classes in mechanical drawing, blue print reading, and machine tool designing. Starting in 1930, 90 Franklin Street became the address of record for the Worcester Knitting Company. The company expanded over the years, ultimately occupying the top five stories of the six-story Burns Building as well as the entire five-story building around the corner on Salem Street. Persky even managed to own two other companies, including the Worcester Spinning and Finishing Co. in Leicester and the Narragansett Knitting Mills in Woonsocket, RI.

1936 Sanborn Map

On July 12, 1948, the Worcester Knitting Realty Co., a holding company led by Abraham S. Persky, purchased the Burns Building at 86-100 Franklin Street and the five-story property at 10-16 Salem Street from Matthew P. Whittall. The Worcester Knitting Company had occupied the site since Persky founded the company and the Whittall family had owned the buildings for 45 years. 

Of course, as you might have realized, the Worcester Knitting Company was not the only company that existed at Franklin and Salem Streets. At the time of the sale in 1948, there were several tenants occupying the first floor of the Burns Building, including Whalen's Restaurant, Inc.; Paquette Stationery Co.; Nursery Furniture; and Salem Square Mill End Store.

1950 Sanborn Map

While the Worcester Knitting Company was comfortably settled at their property, the Worcester Free Public Library had long outgrown their space on Elm Street. The library's board of directors had discussed building a new library building since the early 1900s, citing lack of space as well as fire hazards. In 1921, the board requested funds for such a building, even though they did not have a specific plan or even a prospective site. While the mayor rejected the request that time, the library looked for a site where they could potentially construct their new building. Suggestions over the years included creating a civic center in the area of Salem Square with the new library, a municipal auditorium, and other municipal buildings; a location on Pearl Street; the Elks Home on Elm Street; and many other locations. 

Proposed Sites for New Library Building, July 1948

In 1952, the Worcester Sunday Telegram reported on the Worcester Housing Authority's redevelopment project of the Salem Street area and mentioned the Worcester Knitting Co.'s building as being one of the affected properties. The proposed project included demolishing buildings taken by eminent domain, widening streets, constructing new commercial areas, and more in a roughly 23 acre-section of the downtown Worcester area. During that same year, the Worcester Housing Authority suggested that a new library be built at that project area. The New Salem Street Redevelopment Project was contentious for a number of reasons, with proponents for the project advocating for "slum clearance" and opponents discussing loss of businesses, displacement of the residents who lived in the area, and the costs of the project.

By 1953, the library's board of directors recommended the Worcester Knitting Company site as the new location of the library. There was much controversy over building the library on the site of the Worcester Knitting Company building. The Worcester Knitting Company did not want to move at all, and vociferously protested against this proposal. Persky claimed that several hundred Worcester-area people who worked at the factory would lose their jobs if the company moved out of the city. There were requests to exclude the property from the redevelopment project. and the Worcester newspapers were full of articles during this time about the political fights relating to the redevelopment plan and the fate of the Worcester Knitting Company property.

The company won a reprieve with an agreement with the City Council on April 22, 1954, which gave them until June 1960 to vacate the property. In the meantime, the Worcester Knitting Realty Co. sued the city and the Worcester Housing Authority to prevent the eminent domain seizure of the property. A group of taxpayers also filed a lawsuit regarding the redevelopment project.  The final decision on the lawsuit ruled against the Worcester Knitting Realty Co. in 1956. Eminent domain proceedings and demolition of the other properties in this redevelopment area aside from the Knitting Company properties commenced shortly after. 

Before Salem Street Demolition Started / As the Redevelopment Project Looks Today,
Worcester Telegram, July 27, 1957

In 1958, Mayor O'Brien and several city councilors rejected the idea of having the library at that site, claiming that even though a new library was necessary, they didn't want it to move to the Knitting Company site. A lost of tax revenue was one of the reasons that Mayor O'Brien advocated against moving the library to that location. On the other hand, City Manager Francis J. McGrath was all in favor of the proposed location for the library. By the end of 1959, however, library board and a majority of the city council agreed that the Worcester Knitting Company site was the best location. 

The Worcester Knitting Company purchased some of the former Whittall Carpet Mills buildings at 1 Brussels Street (Behind what is now the former Rotman's) in Spring 1958 but indicated that it would take some time to make the necessary alterations to the buildings to fit the needs of the company. The company finally moved in March 1960 and the former Worcester Knitting Company property at Salem and Franklin Streets was demolished that same month. 

Building Coming Down, Worcester Telegram, March 29, 1960

The City of Worcester purchased the property for the library in 1961 after many bureaucratic hurdles and construction on the new library began in May 1962 by Granger Contracting Co., Inc. The laying of the cornerstone to the new library was officially celebrated in a ceremony held October 1962 (see our blog post here: On This Date in WPL History: October 21, 1962 - Cornerstone Ceremony at Main Library) and the library officially opened to the public in May 1964. Aside from our two-year tenure at Fremont Street during the 2001 renovation, we've been at 3 Salem Square for approximately 60 years!

City Buys Library Site, Worcester Telegram, November 2, 1961

Start of Construction on New Library, Worcester Telegram, May 17, 1962

Unfortunately, the Worcester Knitting Company, Inc. filed articles of voluntary dissolution with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in January 2002.

To end our post, we're going to treat you to a little trivia: did you know that Franklin Street near the Worcester Common has not always been Franklin Street? Throughout Worcester's history, this one section of street was named South Street (because it was south of the Common), Franklin Street (named after Benjamin Franklin), Park Street (starting ~1844), and then officially (again) on January 1, 1913 became known as Franklin Street.

Sources:

"Abraham Persky, 80; Head of Knitting Firm. (1969, April 4). Worcester Evening Gazette, p. 17.

Achorn, R. (1952, April 2). "Housing Board Ambitious Group." Worcester Sunday Telegram, p. 7.

"Before Salem Street Demolition Started / As the Redevelopment Project Looks Today." (1957, July 27). Worcester Telegram, p. 6.

"Building Coming Down." (1960, March 29). Worcester Telegram, p. 13.

"City Buys Library Site." (1961, November 2.) Worcester Telegram, p. 23.

"City Council Dynamites Original Salem Street Plan." (1954, March 26). Worcester Telegram, p. 1.

"Council OK's Salem St. Plan, 6-3." (1954, April 23). Worcester Telegram, p. 1.

"Expect Good Summer Trade." (1925, February 28). Worcester Telegram, p. 8.

"5 Councillors Oppose Plant Site for Library." (1958, March 8). Worcester Telegram, p. 1.

"Franklin Street Site Approved for New Library." (1953, March 21). Worcester Telegram, p. 9.

"Knitting Firm to Leave Salem Sq. Within 3 Months." (1960, January 21). Worcester Telegram, p. 24

"Library Trustees Again Ask Mayor to Act on Fund for New Building." (1921, March 10). Worcester Telegram, p. 1.

"Made in Worcester." (1947, May 12). Worcester Evening Gazette, p. 16.

"McGrath Asks Library on Franklin." (1958, January 17). Worcester Telegram, p. 1.

"Salem Square Project Under Way this Year." (1957, January 9). Worcester Telegram, p. 12.

"Salem Sq. Area Eyed as New Library Site." (1952, October 5). Worcester Telegram, p. 1C.

"Salem Sq. Properties are Sold." (1948, July 12). Worcester Evening Gazette, p. 1.

"Salem St. Project Gets Under Way." (1956, November 21). Worcester Telegram, p. 2.

"Salem Street Project and Library Site Cause Hot Flare-Ups." (1954, January 15). Worcester Telegram, p. 1.

"Salem Street Project Wins Court Approval." (1956, November 20). Worcester Telegram, p.1.

"6 Councillors Favor One Salem St Change." (1954, March 31). Worcester Telegram, p. 1.

"Start of Construction on New Library." (1962, May 17). Worcester Telegram, p. 1.

"Street Art in a City Plan." (1922, June 4). Sunday Telegram Magazine, p. 11.

"Suit Filed Against City." (1954, June 24). Worcester Telegram, p. 2.

"Tool Designing Will be Taught." (1925, October 2). Worcester Telegram, p. 6.

"Worcester Knitting Co. Plans to Buy Part of Former Whittall Mills." (1958, March 29). Worcester Telegram, p. 1.

"Wrecking of Knitting Mill is Next Week." (1960, March 17). Worcester Telegram, p. 21.

Yoffie, A. (2002, February 7). Articles of Dissolution - Worcester Knitting Co., Inc.

New Releases - June Edition

Check out these highly anticipated new releases featuring fiction and nonfiction titles. Click on the title to request a copy or get your name on the waitlist. Don’t forget to watch for more featured releases next month!

NONFICTION

The Gunfighters: How Texas Made the West Wild  by Bryan Burrough.  Burrough (coauthor of Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth) offers a captivating exploration of the Wild West, delving into the era of gunfighters with literary flair and historical depth. He makes the case that Texas was the locus of gun violence in the 19th century (with the highest murder rate per capita in U.S. history), particularly due to its hostile borders with Comanche territory and with Mexico, the coexistence there of Confederate and Union supporters, and the surging cattle business, which was often accompanied by rustlers, gamblers, and vigilantes. However, Burrough also argues that the violent reality of Texas was inflated by sensationalistic journalism, creating a morass of myths and facts. While focusing on activities in and around Texas, Burrough's book is also a more nuanced portrayal of figures such as Wild Bill Hickok, Billy the Kid, and Wyatt Earp than often appears in popular history accounts. The book is fascinating and will be widely popular due to its subject matter, plus it offers two 16-page sets of photos and illustrations and six helpful maps. A must-read for anyone interested in understanding the enduring legacy of the Wild West, in which Burrough expertly separates fact from folklore. VERDICT A fascinating work of history that challenges readers to reconsider the role of the West's legendary gunfighters in shaping the identity of the United States. Copyright 2025 LJ Express.

Baddest Man: The Making of Mike Tyson by Mark Kriegel.  This sinewy biography from journalist Kriegel (The Good Son) traces Mike Tyson’s early life and career. Born in 1966, Tyson came of age in Brooklyn amid financial insecurity, moving constantly as his mother struggled to find work and turning to petty crime by the age of 10. He first became interested in boxing after Muhammad Ali visited the Spofford Juvenile Detention Center where he’d been sent at age 12, and he started training under the supervision of a counselor who happened to be a former champion. Fueled by the rage he carried toward childhood bullies who taunted him for his lisp and glasses, Tyson quickly distinguished himself in the ring and caught the attention of star manager Constantine “Cus” D’Amato during a showcase set up by his counselor. He moved to Upstate New York and began training under the supervised parole of D’Amato, winning his inaugural bout at age 14 with an uppercut that propelled his opponent’s mouthpiece six rows into the crowd. Kriegel’s nuanced portrait notes the many hardships Tyson faced growing up, including watching his mother’s boyfriends brutalize her and getting molested by a stranger, without excusing his flaws, most notably his hair-trigger temper and physical abuse of his first wife. It’s an unflinching glimpse into the formative years of a troubled boxing great. Photos. Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly.

Present: A Fatherhood Playbook for Healing Relationships and Connecting With Your Kids by Charles Daniels.  This sensitive debut guide from therapist Daniels encourages men to take active roles in their children’s lives, noting studies that found children of absentee fathers are more likely to underperform in school and experience depression. Daniels’s empathetic approach recognizes that absentee parents are often suffering from their own trauma, such as addiction, financial insecurity, incarceration, or childhood abuse. Case studies from Fathers’ Uplift, a family counseling nonprofit founded by Daniels, illustrate strategies for healing. For instance, he recounts encouraging a teen father of two who spent over a year in juvenile detention to connect with his “inner child,” which helped him better understand the needs and perspectives of his children while allowing him to work through the pain he carried from witnessing his own parents’ nonstop fighting as a kid. Though Daniels includes a few practical suggestions, such as reciting affirmations to stay calm during stressful moments, the guidance largely focuses on self-forgiveness, as when he counsels readers to judge themselves not by their past missteps but by “how well we coexist with our mistakes and the lessons we applied from them.” Compassionate and psychologically insightful, this is a must for fathers wondering how to better show up for their kids. Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly.

FICTION

So Far Gone by Jess Walter.  Like Station Eleven and The Handmaid's Tale, this novel by Walter (The Angels of Rome and Other Stories) feels both prescient and timely yet with a backward glance. The 2016 elections in the United States ignite a fight between Rhys Kinnick and his daughter's new husband, leading Rhys to move off the grid. Seven years later, his grandchildren show up on his front porch, and he has to learn, if not how to parent them, then at least how to reenter the world to save them from their dangerously fundamentalist father. Rhys learns to lean on the people and practices he left behind (including an ex-girlfriend and a journalism career) to find his daughter and salvage a life for her children. Gritty survivalist stories, from bunkers to bar rooms, converge in this propulsive novel that glances backward to 2016 while signaling what dangers come to fruition when people relinquish human bonds in favor of ideological fervor. VERDICT This work is a tremendous achievement: more literary and ambitious than Walter's previous popular books, with an urgency that may make it one of the strongest realist but dystopian novels of the present era.—Emily Bowles, Copyright 2025 Library Journal.

Flashlight by Susan Choi.  Inspired by and building off the framework of Choi's 2020 short story of the same name, this much-anticipated novel spotlights the National Book Award-winning author's gift for illuminating the twisty, psychological aspects of identities and relationships. The story begins with a walk on the beach—10-year-old Louisa and her father talking as they stroll by the water, guided by the father's flashlight. Readers get the briefest glimpse of their conversation: the father telling Louisa that her mother gave her a gift in teaching her to swim. The next morning, in the next narrative moment, he has disappeared, and Louisa has washed up on the shore, barely alive. As the story rolls in and out with both tidal force and quiet currents, it shifts between past and present, each wave receding to reveal cultural and generational dislocation, all of which converges when past crashes into present. VERDICT Choi's follow-up to Trust Exercises proves she's a writer at the top of her game, capable of crafting a well-plotted and complex story while remaining attuned to small internal motivations, along with intersectional and cultural liminalities, those edges between surf and sand where so much violence happens, as much to bodies as to hearts, minds, and homes.—Emily Bowles, Copyright 2025 Library Journal.

The Gowkaran Tree in the Middle of Our Kitchen by Shokoofeh Azar.  Azar's debut novel, The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree, made LJ's list of the Best World Literature of 2020. Her second novel opens as an extended family gathers for a wedding, and the hosts cope with the appearance of the titular tree. Its fruits are legion and luscious. Thus begins the magical realism, which intensifies the brutal reality of Iran in the 1970s and spans 50 years, following 12 children who were lost inside a mysterious palace one night. The members of the family—children, young lovers, older folks—experience the devastating torment of the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War. Azar's lens of Persian spiritualism welcomes phenomena like intelligent balls of light, Lady Death with a peacock, and God in fine fettle, dancing at another wedding that closes the novel. Put into extraordinarily agile English from the original Farsi by a translator who is staying anonymous for security reasons, this work will establish Azar as one of Iran's most eloquent voices in exile. VERDICT It is not an exaggeration to compare Azar's work to Rushdie's Satanic Verses; they are continents apart but united in wild imagination and audacious style.—Barbara Conaty

Copyright 2025 LJ Express.

Craft & Hobby

Craft and Hobby is an online platform that provides access to fun and creative educational resources. You can explore in-depth instructional videos and classes to learn a new craft or hobby, or improve existing skills. Available to you from the comforts of your home with a WPL library card. Go to our databases page and select Craft & Hobby.

Here are some of the popular categories.

		Baking & Cooking			Cake Decorating
		Crochet			Dance
		Embroidery			Fitness
		Knitting			Painting
		Photography			Quilting
		Scrapbooking			Sewing

Naming Library Spaces: The Saxe Room

You may be aware of our two main meeting spaces, the Saxe Room and the Banx Room, but do you know how they got their names? Today's blog post is going to focus on the origins of the larger meeting room, the Saxe Room, named after James Alfred Saxe and his wife, Mary Wick Saxe.

"Succumbs," Worcester Telegram, May 20, 1948

So who were the Saxes and why are their names immortalized at our library? 

James Alfred Saxe, was born in Troy, NY, on December 2, 1863 and lived in Massachusetts most of his life. James, the twin brother of John W. Saxe and nephew of poet James Godfrey Saxe, was educated at Wilbraham Academy, Wesleyan College, and Harvard College. He also studied singing and violin at the Berlin Conservatory of Music before returning to the United States to study law at Harvard Law School. He graduated law school in 1892 and married Mary Wick of Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of a banker, in June of that same year. James worked for a couple of years with his brother in Boston before James and Mary moved to Worcester in 1895, where he became a title examiner at the metropolitan water board. He founded the Worcester County Abstract Co. in 1897 [Note: a title examiner is a person who researches the history and previous owners of a specific piece of property], where he remained active in the company until 1929.

Undated Photo of James A. Saxe

James was an prominent member of the Worcester community, with news reports through the years detailing his performances as a bass singer in church quartets and other concerts, his memberships in the Church of the Unity/First Unitarian Church and the Worcester County Bar Association, his participation in golf tournaments, and his donation of a rare coin collection to the Worcester Historical Society.

Mary Wick Saxe's Photo on Her Emergency Passport Application, circa April 1920

Mary Wick Saxe was a frequent world traveler (many times accompanied by her mother, also named Mary, and sometimes her husband, James- the three of them even took a 9-month voyage around the world in 1907!), and would recount her grand adventures at gatherings of the Worcester Woman's Clubhouse Association and in the Worcester newspapers. She once wrote about her experiences in India in the Worcester Evening Gazette in 1914. By the late-1910s, James and Mary owned an estate in the American settlement of Vivi Agua (also known as Bibijagua), Isle of Pines, Cuba, that served as their winter home. There were even rumors of buried pirate treasure on the property but no troves were ever reported to have been found.

"Property of James A. Saxe May Hold Private Treasure." Worcester Sunday Telegram, May 18, 1919

"Saxe's Bungalow in Isle of Pines," 1933

Mary died in 1939 at the age of 71 in Cuba after a long illness. She was buried in Cuba at the Columbia Cemetery. 

Report of the Death of an American Citizen - "Mary Wicks [sic] Tennis Saxe" May 12, 1939

James Alfred Saxe died May 19, 1948 at the age of 84 in his home on 227 Burncoat Street in Worcester. He was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Troy, NY.

J.A. Saxe, Title Examiner, Dies." Worcester Telegram, May 20, 1948

A week after Saxe died, the Worcester newspapers reported on the contents of Saxe's will. One major bequest was $50,000 to the City for the Worcester Public Library. At that time, it was the largest gift to the library and adjusted for inflation, $50,000 in 1948 currency would be worth over $650,000 today! Per the will, twenty-five thousand dollars would be used to create a James A. and Mary W. Saxe Room at the new public library, if and when it was erected (if you recall from previous blog posts, the new library building at 3 Salem Square would not be completed until 1964). The other half of the bequest for the library was to be used to purchase "books of a serious nature for the present library" (Worcester Evening Gazette, May 24, 1948).  The will stipulated that if the new public library was not built within 21 years, the money could be used to purchase additional books for the library. The Saxe Fund was to be left in the hands of private trustees and then it would be turned over to the city.

"$50,000 is Left City in Saxe Bequests," Worcester Evening Gazette, May 24, 1948, p.1

By 1953, part of the Saxe Fund was used to acquire poetry records, music scores, and projection equipment and screens to show documentary films and slide-film programs. Trustees of the Saxe Fund also created a scholarship fund in 1955 for present and prospective staff to study library science. The Saxe Fund is still in existence.

The Saxe Collection of Recorded Poetry Drama and Speech, 1953

In 1962, the library board asked the trustees of the Saxe estate to contribute the funds for two meeting rooms "in accordance with the provisions of the Saxe will" (Worcester Evening Gazette, November 14, 1962).  In May 1964, the new library building at 3 Salem Square finally opened to the public, with the Saxe Room and Conference Room A located on the second floor of the library. Both rooms were designed in the fashion of the 1960s, with walls in teak and drapes in wildly clashing colors, called "Joseph's Coat." The Saxe Room would fit 135 people and Conference Room A would fit 40 people. The Saxe Room was intended to be used for film screenings and recitals, among other meetings. 

"I'm Confident Our Readers Will Like It," Worcester Sunday Telegram - Feature Parade Section, March 1, 1964

Conference Room A would become the Al Banx Room in 1974. Renovation of the Saxe and Banx Rooms began in the summer of 1988. It included new ceilings, carpet, paneling, furniture, and most importantly, asbestos abatement. The Saxe and Banx Rooms were rededicated in October 1988.

The Saxe and Banx Rooms moved to their present location on the first floor by the parking lot entrance during the major library renovation that finished in 2001. The two rooms are still in use today for library programs and community meetings. So when you attend one of our library programs in the Saxe Room, you can surprise everyone with your knowledge of the history of the space!

Stay tuned for a future blog post on the Banx Room...

Sources:

"Announce Fund for Library Scholarships." (1955, March 3). Worcester Evening Gazette, 8.

"Banx, Saxe Rooms Rededicated." (1988, October 23). Worcester Sunday Telegram, 35 A.

"50,000 is Left City in Saxe Bequests." (1948, May 24). Worcester Evening Gazette, 1.

"I'm Confident Our Readers Will Like It." (1964, March 1). Worcester Sunday Telegram - Feature Parade Section, 14.

"J.A. Saxe, Title Examiner, Dies." (1948, May 20). Worcester Telegram, 1.

"James A. Saxe, 84, Dies in His Home." (1948, May 20). Worcester Evening Gazette, 60.

"Library Anticipates $1,800 Budget Hike." (1962, November 14). Worcester Telegram, 18.

"Library Tour A Colorful Experience." (1964, April 21). Worcester Telegram, 13.

"Mrs. James A. Wick Saxe." (1939, May 13). Worcester Telegram, 4.

"$100,000 Charity Bequests in James A. Saxe's Will." (1948, May 25, 1948). Worcester Telegram, 11.

"Postal Rate Rise Hits Library Budget. (1962, November 14). Worcester Evening Gazette, 6.

"Property of James A. Saxe May Hold Private Treasure." (1919, May 18). Worcester Sunday Telegram, 12C.

"Rare Old Coins Given Society." (1945, July 5). Worcester Telegram, 2.

"Saxe Tours the World." (1907, August 2). Worcester Telegram, 14.

"Work, Real Hard Work." (1900, July 1). Worcester Sunday Telegram, 9.

The Worcester Free Public Library. (1953). The Saxe Collection of Recorded Poetry Drama and Speech.

New Releases - May Edition

Check out these highly anticipated new releases featuring fiction and nonfiction titles. Click on the title to request a copy or get your name on the waitlist. Don’t forget to watch for more featured releases next month!

FICTION

The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei.  California-based Singaporean writer Wei, a Pushcart Prize nominee, brings to readers a family tale set in working-class Singapore and New Zealand and centered on 27-year-old Genevieve. In her childhood, her grandfather's secret family came to light with the arrival of his newly discovered descendant Arin, who is a year younger than Gen. Gen's parents took Arin in as a daughter, since she was seemingly abandoned by her birth family, and Gen has resented her ever since. Gen narrates a lifetime of strife with Arin, who later becomes a famous actress, and also deals with her mother's breast cancer and her father's emotional infidelity. Wei's multilayered writing sweeps readers up to carry them alongside Gen through her emotional and financial struggles and lifelong conflict with Arin as they both vie for their mother's love and attention. . .   VERDICT This novel should appeal to readers who appreciate relationship-based stories within families; also a good candidate for book clubs.—Shirley Quan.  Copyright 2025 Library Journal.

Old School Indian by Aaron John Curtis. A Native American man returns home to heal wounds both literal and metaphorical. Abe Jacobs, the hero of Curtis’ finely tuned debut, is 43 and seriously ill. He’s taken a break from his job as a bookseller in Miami (and from his wife, Alexandria East), to visit family on a Mohawk reservation in upstate New York. . .  while he waits for a formal diagnosis, he skeptically but desperately accepts some folk treatment from a great-uncle. Otherwise, he spends his stay reconnecting with friends and family, attempting to make sense of his various past struggles: a depression that led to a suicide attempt, a difficult open relationship with Alex, and a stalled career as a poet. That last challenge gives the novel a poignant, lyrical lift: An alter ego of Abe’s, Dominick Deer Woods, regularly intrudes on the narrative, sharing excerpts of Abe’s poetry and generally serving as his snarkier, more confident self. . .  Some of those sidebars deal with Native American life, from food to tribal relationships, to the bigotry that informs Abe’s skepticism of traditional medicine, to forced sterilizations, and more. . . An affecting tale of loss and healing that thrives through its seriocomic style. Copyright Kirkus 2025.

Anima Rising by Christopher Moore. Moore (Shakespeare for Squirrels) offers an absurdist and sardonic sequel, of sorts, to Frankenstein. It begins in early-1900s Vienna and is populated with historical figures like Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and a young Hitler. Readers meet painter Klimt when he is out early one morning and finds the body of a young woman who appears to have drowned in the river. He is struck by the unique tint of her skin and is compelled to sketch her. When it seems she's not dead yet, he brings her back to his studio, but the woman, whom he names Judith, cannot remember who she is. Klimt calls upon Freud for assistance, and he eventually calls upon his protégé Jung for help with this unique case. These sessions reveal hidden memories about her creation and bizarre history, which include Victor Frankenstein and a trip to the underworld. VERDICT This is a wild adventure through history, art, and literature for Moore's many fans and those who enjoy historical fiction with a side of fantasy and wry humor. Highly recommended.—Kristen Stewart. Copyright 2025 Library Journal.

NONFICTION

Life and Art by Richard Russo.  Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Russo's (Somebody's Fool) second essay collection focuses on writing and his life. He has written screenplays for a number of his books, including an HBO miniseries for Empire Falls. Reading about his childhood, youth, and early adulthood, growing up in a Rustbelt town in upstate New York as the son of an often-absent father and an ambitious mother, helps readers understand the source of his books' settings, their characters, and his (and their) outlooks on life. Thirteen essays (some of which originally appeared in The Atlantic, Harper's, and the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association) reveal even more of Russo's background and interests—studying for his Ph.D. in literature at the University of Arizona, teaching English at Colby and other colleges, traveling across the country on book tours, screenwriting and adapting his own work. Russo also writes of his interest in Kingsley Amis's novel Lucky Jim, the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (and one of its stars, Paul Newman), and Townes Van Zandt's song "Pancho and Lefty." VERDICT A welcome visit with a major contemporary writer.—Marcia Welsh Copyright 2025 LJExpress.

The Art Spy by Michelle Young.  Young chronicles the vividly atmospheric saga of Rose Valland, a French art historian who risked everything to spy on the Nazis during World War II, as a key Resistance spy in the heart of the Nazis' art-looting headquarters. While Hitler was amassing stolen art for his future Führermuseum, Valland was secretly working to stop him from looting paintings by Picasso, Monet, Cézanne, Gauguin, Braque, Degas, Modigliani, and Toulouse-Lautrec. Based on previously undiscovered historical documents, this extensively detailed portrait of Valland's bravery and strategic intelligence makes for exciting reading. The fascinating book offers insights into the Nazi's art looting operations and Valland's crucial role in preserving France's cultural heritage. The story of Valland's courage and dedication to art and justice is compelling and inspiring. VERDICT This book should have broad appeal, thanks to its previously unsung World War II Resistance spy heroine and the rich details of her exploits, making it ideal for fans of espionage and strong narrative nonfiction that reads like a compelling novel.—Lawrence Mello Copyright 2025 LJExpress.

They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals by Mariah Blake. Investigative journalist Blake tells the story of her investigation into the lives and workings of the people in a small town in upstate New York who had grown suspicious of the local industrial plant after there had been an inordinate amount of health problems and cancer deaths among the small population. This industrial plant employed most townspeople and made food-preserving products, including Teflon. Obtaining her information through personal interviews with the local people and through numerous public documents, Blake discovered that this plant was dumping waste into the local water supply. All the while, the chemical industry at large was aware of the deadly and long-term effects of these "forever chemicals." The company running the plant in New York had gone to extreme lengths to cover it up, including manufacturing false research studies. Ultimately, the chemicals were banned, yet long-term health issues and environmental problems persist. Blake tells this heartbreaking and horrifying story in a manner that should motivate and outrage readers. VERDICT A powerfully written narrative that needs to be shared widely.—Steve Dixon Copyright 2025 LJExpress.

New Releases - April Edition

Check out these highly anticipated new releases featuring fiction and nonfiction titles. Click on the title to request a copy or get your name on the waitlist. Don’t forget to watch for more featured releases next month!

NONFICTION

No New Things by Ashlee Piper. Piper, a sustainability expert and author of Give a Sh*t: Do Good. Live Better. Save the Planet, offers a guide to help readers stop buying new things, based on her experiences doing so for over a year.  Her book is filled with daily action items and exercises.  Copyright 2024 Library Journal.

 

Medicine River: A Story of Survival and the Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools by Mary Annette Pember.  A concise history of Native American boarding schools and their enduring consequences. The daughter of a boarding school survivor, the author explores a highly personal subject while tracing out its broader historical dimensions. . . Elegantly weaving together her mother’s stories, those of other boarding school students, and concise accounts of federal assimilationist policies and common institutional practices, she provides an informed and unsettling perspective on the schools’ individual and collective impact. . . we gain a striking sense of how an ethic of righteous domination shaped institutions meant to accelerate the destruction of indigeneity. Particularly compelling are the accounts of the schools’ coercive religious authority, myriad forms of physical and psychological abuse, and insistent shaming, all of which aimed at, and often succeeded in, destroying the self-esteem of vulnerable children. As we come to understand, routine cruelties coexisted with the self-professed benevolence of the pedagogical bureaucracy. Indigenous resistance is also carefully charted, especially in relation to the “sense of common purpose and pan-Indian identity” that many students managed to establish in the face of crushing assimilative pressures. . . . A gripping, often harrowing account of the personal and communal toll of cultural genocide. Copyright Kirkus 2025 Kirkus/BPI Communications.

 Accidentally on Purpose by Kristen Kish.  In her delightful debut memoir, Top Chef host Kish (It’s All in the Sauce: Bringing Your Uniqueness to the Table, a children’s cookbook) covers her early experiences in the kitchen and the path to her TV breakthrough. Born in 1983 Seoul and adopted by American parents in Michigan, Kish details a mostly ordinary childhood laced with spaghetti with red sauce and Creamsicle sodas. Encouraged by her mother to explore her affinity for cooking as a teenager, Kish paid a visit to Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago. After enrolling in and graduating from the culinary school, Kish moved to Boston, where she worked under chef Barbara Lynch at Stir and dabbled in cocaine and alcohol while finding her footing in the pressure-filled world of fine dining. Her winning run on Top Chef gets a lot of play in the narrative, as do inspiring encounters with the likes of Emeril Lagasse and Padma Lakshmi, whom Kish replaced as host of Top Chef in 2023. Also touching are sections about Kish coming out as gay to her family and friends after her professional success bolstered her confidence. Self-assured yet down-to-earth, Kish’s account will resonate with aspiring chefs and Top Chef fans alike. Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly.

FICTION

Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez.  The latest from Perkins-Valdez (Take My Hand) features a dual narrative that starts with Washington, DC, real estate agent Nikki Lovejoy being summoned to rural North Carolina by her estranged grandmother Rita. Mother Rita needs help managing the family homestead. As the story and relationship between Rita and Niki develop, readers learn about family secrets and history of the Kingdom of the Happy Land. The historical side of the narrative is revealed by Luella, a Lovejoy ancestor known as the queen of Happy Land. Luella is part of a group of formerly enslaved people who migrated to this spot after emancipation to create a settlement for themselves. Through hard work and saving, the community was able to purchase the land, which they called the Kingdom of the Happy Land. In the contemporary storyline, Perkins-Valdez reveals how that land was stolen from the Lovejoys and how Rita fights to retain it for her family. VERDICT This is a lyrical and unique work of historical fiction. The Kingdom is based on a real place about which readers will want to know more after reading Perkins-Valdez's novel. Fans of hidden-history narratives will enjoy her hopeful, empowering tale.—Kristen Stewart.  Copyright 2025 Library Journal.

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett. Following their first twisty case of murder and political corruption (chronicled in The Tainted Cup), Ana and Din are sent to the opposite fringe of the Empire to solve what appears to be a classic locked-room murder mystery. But no case that Special Investigations sends their most special team to is ever that simple. The moment that eccentric senior investigator Ana is on the scene, she knows that the case is about something no one wants to admit; it's all misdirection for a plot decades in the making, involving sleeper agents, ambitious officers, and corruption of both the body and the soul, all in service of a goal no one remembers except the man who has been enslaved to it for his entire life. VERDICT This Holmes and Watson-like investigative duo are compelling to follow, and the truly epic fantasy world where the series is set, with its falling empire, corrupt politics, and magic pharmacopeia engineered from monster blood, takes the familiarity of mystery and creates a truly fantastic fever-dream of a world and a story.—Marlene Harris.  Copyright 2025 Library Journal.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women: a novel by Marie Bostick.  Bostwick's (Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly) latest explores the lives of four housewives in 1963 suburban Virginia. Margaret, Viv, and Bitsy are living the American dream. However, "having it all" leaves them feeling guilty and wondering if there should be more to their lives than just domesticity. Enter Charlotte, their arty, fashionable, and eccentric new neighbor from New York City. These four women start a book club, with The Feminine Mystique as their first title, a controversial and groundbreaking book that inspires each of them to examine their own lives, illustrating why they each feel pressured, unhappy, and unfulfilled. Through their discussions of other books, they form an unbreakable bond and encourage one another not only to acknowledge their fears and dreams but also to seek change to make their longings a reality. VERDICT Bostwick's latest is ideal for fans of historical fiction and those who enjoyed Bonnie Garmus's Lessons in Chemistry, Kristin Hannah's The Women, or Kate Quinn's The Briar Club, which explore the historical roles of women and the challenges they faced within a society structured to define and limit their roles in and out of the home.—Linsey Milillo. Copyright 2025 Library Journal.

Owl Be Here for You: The History of the Owl Statues at Worcester Public Library

We often hear children and their families excitedly pointing out the two large owl statues that are mounted above the staircases between the first and second floors of the Main Library. I personally delight in explaining to them that the owls actually have names, "Whooo" and Whoom," and that they were named such in a naming contest. But what's the story behind the owls? Read on to learn more!

Worcester Public Library (then known as the Worcester Free Public Library) used to be located on the southside of Elm Street from 1861 until it moved to its present location at 3 Salem Square in 1964. Even in the 19th century, there was talk of moving the library. By the late 1880s, the library had outgrown its original Elm Street building at 18 Elm Street and the library directors looked at either moving to a new building or expanding. They eventually settled on building an addition to the existing structure by having the city purchase the adjacent Dr. J.O. Marble property in 1888. The cornerstone for the addition was laid November 27, 1889 and the addition was completed in 1891.  

The plans by well-known Worcester architect Stephen C. Earle were primarily carried out by the contractors Cutting & Bishop. There was also an additional artistic component: two sculpted horned owls that would be added to either side of the new addition's entrance! According to the Worcester Evening Gazette, the sculptor of the two stone owls was a 33-year-old sculptor from Boston named Terrence Dunn.

Two Owls. Worcester Evening Gazette, September 13, 1890

The December 24, 1890 issue of the Worcester Telegram was a bit critical in its discussion of the owls at the entrance: "The only uninviting feature about the whole building is the glum look on the two stone owls that perch on either side of the arch at the main entrance on Elm street [sic]. And yet the owls look so learned that the critic in gazing at them wants to go beyond and see what is within." 

Free Public Library, Worcester, Mass., circa 1905-1915, Detroit Publishing Co.
Courtesy of the Library of Congress. - note the owls over the left-side building's arch

And so the owls stayed on their perches outside the Elm Street entrance, silently observing all who entered the hallowed halls of the Worcester Free Public Library, until once again, the library outgrew its space. The city and library board decided to build a brand new library that would be located at 3 Salem Square opposite City Hall (see one of our previous blog posts for information about the 1962 laying of the cornerstone for the new building). 

How Wise is the Elm Street Library Owl? Worcester Evening Gazette, March 25, 1950

Look Up! Sunday Telegram, July 5, 1959

In 1963, the Worcester Telegram reported that then-library director Thurston Taylor and City Manager Frances J. McGrath had discussed the upcoming demolition of the Elm Street library building. Taylor advocated for preserving the library owls, as well as the stone arch above the entrance. McGrath also recommended saving the bas-reliefs of Cicero, Shakespeare, Benjamin Franklin, and Thucydides that adorned the exterior of the library addition towards the top of the building. Unfortunately, McGrath ultimately concluded with the library directors that they weren't able to find a new home for the bas-reliefs and stone arch at the new building and furthermore, preservation of these items was too costly for the city. Fortunately, the city agreed to salvage the two owls at the cost of $50 (roughly $515 adjusted for inflation) (Worcester Telegram, October 7, 1963). The library ultimately mounted the owls on the walls of the Social Science department of the new library building. The new building at Salem Square was officially dedicated on May 22, 1964 and the library opened to the public the following Monday. The Elm Street library was subsequently torn down and the site later became the Pearl-Elm Parking Garage.

Worcester Sunday Telegram, May 23, 1965

Fast forward to September 1980. For years, the owls had been unofficially named "Hoot" and "Toot," according to an article in the September 11, 1980 issue of the Worcester Telegram. The Friends of Worcester Public Library decided to name the owls with a "Great Give a Hoot Contest," which would be open to all Worcester-area residents. According to the article, there would be winners in three age brackets (ages 6-12, 12-18, and over 18) and an overall grand prize winner, with the winning entries being selected on Halloween. The contest would be judged by four judges and one honorary judge, retired head librarian Thurston Taylor. 

The Friends of the Worcester Public Library received over 280 entries but the grand prize winner was Patrick B. Holland, a 14-year-old boy from Worcester, with his entry, "Whooo" and "Whooom." The other winners were "Winkie" and "Blinkie" from 10-year-old Holly Burns and "Wisdom" and "Common Sense" by 24-year-old Joseph Trent. Each winner received a $20 gift certificate for books and Patrick Holland also received a framed print of an Albrecht Dürer drawing of an owl.

He Gave a Hoot - And Won. Worcester Evening Gazette, November 8, 1980*

Now you know the story of Whooo and Whooom (we do not know which one is which) so say hi to them the next time you stop by the Main Library!

For more information about another work of art in the Main Library, check out our blog post about the 3 large WPA murals above the 2nd floor!

*Note: the articles from 1980 claimed that the statues were cast metal but all previous articles indicated that the statues were made of stone.

Sources:

Done in First-Class Shape. (1890, December 24). Worcester Daily Telegram. p. 4.

Fletcher Street Teen Wins 'Great Give a Hoot Contest.' (1980, November 6). Worcester Telegram. p. 37.

He Gave a Hoot -- And Won. (1980, November 8). Worcester Evening Gazette. p. 7.

Green, F. He Wanted Everyone to Read Read Read. (1965, May 23). Worcester Sunday Telegram. Feature Parade Section, p. 6.

Library Demolition. (1963, October 7). Worcester Evening Gazette. p. 9.

Owl Figures, Door Arch to be Saved. (1963, May 28) Worcester Evening Gazette. p.27.

Public Library Addition. (1889, November 28). Worcester Telegram. p. 2.

Two Owls. (1890, September 13). Worcester Evening Gazette. p. 4.

You Can Get Wise with the Owls? (1980, September 11). Worcester Telegram. p. 9.