Forgotten Women: Biographical Sketches of Worcester Free Public Library's First Assistant Librarians

We have previously written about the founding and early years of the Worcester Free Public Library and recently introduced readers to the life of its first head librarian, Zephaniah Baker. Now is the time to highlight the lives of the first two assistant librarians who helped organize and maintain the library. These forgotten women, known during their tenure at the library as Miss Callina Barnes and Mrs. Z. Baker (hereafter known by her given name, "Frances," because we're focusing on her, not Zephaniah), deserve not only recognition for their work in our library's history but also for their lives beyond the library. Therefore, in honor of National Library Week, we invite you to enjoy the following post. 

Miss Callina Barnes

Callina "Calla" Barnes with her husband, Rowland Parker Pollard, June 16, 1874

Callina and her twin brother, Moses Barnes Jr., were born on December 7, 1831 in Dudley, Massachusetts to Eliza (Larned) Barnes and her husband Moses. Moses was previously married to a woman named Callina Ammidown Barnes, who died at the age of 30 in 1827, leaving Moses with an infant son, George. 

Callina Barnes was listed as being a pupil at the Nichols Academy in Dudley in 1850 and 1852, where Zephaniah Baker also attended school several years prior. By the 1855 Massachusetts state census, 23-year old Callina was listed as living with her parents, while her brother Moses was living in Worcester and working as a clerk. Callina's mother died in 1856 and her father Moses remarried (again) in 1858 to Aurelia M. Barber Rice, the widow of Erastus Rice. 

In early 1860, the Worcester Free Public Library board of directors first approved Zephaniah Baker as the head librarian of the newly established library, and then later approved Miss C. Barnes as assistant librarian, with a salary in the first year of $250 (half the salary of Zephaniah). The 1860 federal census lists Callina's occupation as librarian, and she is listed as living in a Worcester residence with several other people. She would be listed as a boarder at 15 Portland Street in 1861. Both Zephaniah and his assistant were credited by the Library Board of Directors in the First Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library as having "discharged their duties with approved assiduity and fidelity" (1861, p. 5).

1860 Federal Census

The Worcester Almanac, Directory, and Business Advertiser for 1861, 1861

Callina's salary increased to $300 by the second year of her employment at the library (compared to Zephaniah's salary raise to $800). By the third year, it seems one of her primary responsibilities was assisting in the Circulating Department, because the second assistant librarian was responsible for working with the Green Library's collection. Callina would continue to serve as first assistant librarian until April 1866, when she resigned her position. It is not known what Callina immediately did after she left the library but the 1870 federal census lists Callina as having no occupation and living in Dudley with her father, Moses, and step-mother, Aurelia Barnes. As far as we can tell, Callina never worked again outside of her household responsibilities.

Callina Barnes married Rowland Parker Pollard on June 16, 1874 at the age of 42 in Chester, Vermont. Rowland was a 59-year-old farmer and widower of Mary Ann Shedd Pollard, who died in October 1873 of consumption. Incidentally, Mary Ann Shedd was the younger sister of Frances Maria Shedd (Baker), the former wife of Zephaniah Baker. Frances, of course, was also one of the Worcester Free Public Library's original assistant librarians. Small world, right?!

Marriage Record of Callina Barnes and Rowland Parker Pollard, June 16, 1874

Rowland had two adult children from his first marriage but Callina and Rowland had a son, Arthur, in November 1875. The 1880 federal census lists Callina's occupation as "keeping house," while Rowland is listed as being a farmer. 

Rowland died in 1899, at the age of 84 years. Callina and Arthur would continue to live together after selling the family farm and moving to several properties within Chester throughout the years as evidenced by the 1900, 1910, and 1920 federal censuses. By the 1920 census, 44-year-old Arthur was a postmaster who lived with his 88-year-old mother and a housekeeper. Arthur would eventually marry 29-year-old schoolteacher Cola M. Martin in July of that year. Callina Barnes Pollard died of valvular heart disease, with a contributing disease of senile degeneration, on December 28, 1920 at the age of 89 years. She was buried in the family plot at the North Street Cemetery in Chester.

Death Record for Callina Barnes Pollard, December 28, 1920

Mrs. Z. Baker, a.k.a. Mrs. Frances M. Baker, a.k.a. F. M. Baker, a.k.a. Frances Maria Shedd

Frances M. Baker - Mrs. Zephiniah [sic]: President 1880-1881, Officers of the Worcester Woman's Club, photo from circa 1880s 

Frances Maria Shedd was born on November 22, 1812 in Reading, Vermont, to Sally Mann Shedd and William P. Shedd. She was the oldest of seven children (including the aforementioned Mary Ann Shedd) but not much is known about her early life prior to her marriage. As we mentioned in our biographical blog post about Zephaniah Baker, Frances and Zephaniah married on June 1, 1840 in Chester, Vermont and eventually moved around the Northeast and later Ohio as Zephaniah ministered to different Universalist congregations.

In the early 1840s, Frances and Zephaniah lived in Canterbury, Connecticut. In 1842, Frances Baker published a couple of articles in the Samaritan, and Total Abstinence Advocate, a short-lived temperance newspaper based in Providence. Zephaniah was pro-temperance, in part because his father had suffered injuries during an accident caused by a drunk man, but it is not known whether Frances was in favor of temperance before she married Zephaniah. 

During this time, Frances also became the corresponding secretary of the Connecticut Anti-Slavery Society and wrote a letter that was published in the abolitionist newspaper, The Liberator. She also developed a high school for young ladies in Canterbury in 1845.

Select Young Ladies' School, Trumpet and Universalist Magazine, April 19, 1845

Frances wrote two children's books, including one titled Louisa Murray, and Other Stories, published in 1846.

Cover page of Louisa Murray, and Other Tales, 1846

Frances would also continue to write articles and poems for newspapers throughout her life, including a piece called "The Spirit's Mission," published in the Ohio-based The Anti-Slavery Bugle in 1851.

Excerpt from "The Spirit's Mission," The Anti-Slavery Bugle, December 6, 1851

The Second Assistant Librarian

Frances is first mentioned in the context of the library in the Second Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library, when she is acknowledged for creating a Numerical Catalogue with "great care and neatness" for the benefit of the librarians. During the following year, she would commence a detailed cataloging of the Green Library and would finish the catalogue a couple of years later. 

Index to the Catalogue of the Books in the "Green Library" Department of the "Free Public Library, September 1, 1865

In 1867, Frances would be credited with creating the Second Supplement to the Circulating Department's catalogue. Future Head Librarian, Samuel Swett Green, would praise Frances on behalf of the Committee on the Reading Room in the Eighth Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library, stating, "[The Committee] would express its entire satisfaction in regard to the superintendent of this department of the library by Mrs. Z. Baker, our accomplished First-Assistant Librarian, and congratulate the Board on having so able and faithful a servant" (1868, p. 30).  The Ninth Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library would recount the observations by the "very efficient Assistant Librarian" of how the Green Library was used.  

Excerpt from The Ninth Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library, 1869

Other Interests

Of course, Frances had many other interests besides her responsibilities as an Assistant Librarian at the public library. As previously mentioned, she believed in temperance and would speak at a public temperance meeting at Sons of Temperance Hall in 1863. She would also be on a committee of the Freedman's Relief Society to raise funds to support teachers of freed slaves.

Most notably, however, was her groundbreaking accomplishment of being one of the first two women elected to the Worcester school committee in 1868. As we previously noted, Frances was quite interested in education. Alas, she resigned her position in April 1869 due to unknown reasons.

School Committee, Worcester Evening Gazette, December 9, 1868

By September 1869, Frances moved onto the newest stage of her life: leaving the library to pursue other intellectual opportunities. First, Frances opened a new select school in the Insurance Block on Main Street.

Select School, Worcester Daily Spy, September 3, 1869

Then in December 1869, Frances became the secretary of the newly formed Worcester Woman's Suffrage Association. The 1870 federal census has Frances M. Baker living separately from her husband. At some point before 1873, she and Zephaniah divorced and while he eventually remarried, Frances never remarried.

Woman's Suffrage Association, Aegis and Gazette, January 1, 1870

Frances loved to give lectures and read aloud important papers on a variety of topics including biology, botany, and geology at meetings of the Worcester Natural History Society. 

City News, Worcester Daily Spy, February 10, 1874

In late 1872 Frances wrote a 5 1/2 page historical poem that she read at the centennial celebration of the founding of her hometown of Reading, Vermont.

Excerpt from Historical Poem by Frances Maria Shedd Baker from Centennial Celebration Together with a Historical Sketch of Reading, Windsor County, Vermont, 1874

Frances enjoyed traveling all over the world and then recounting her travels to attentive audiences at the Natural History Society and other Worcester organizations. For instance, she shared details of the "Glacier on the Stachine River" as seen during her Summer 1880 trip to Sitka, Alaska during a January 1881 meeting of the Natural History Society. She also talked about her trip to Scandinavia and Eastern Europe to the Young Ladies' Club of the Church of the Unity.

Passport Application for Frances M. Baker, May 28, 1878

Amusements, Meetings, &c., Worcester Daily Spy, January 11, 1883

Natural History Society, Worcester Sunday Telegram, November 23, 1890

In 1880, Frances joined the newly created Worcester Woman's Club, an association that was devoted to "mutual improvement in literary and social matters" (Worcester Daily Spy, March 21, 1881). Early meetings met in member's houses and members would present original papers on topics such as "Enlightened Motherhood" and "Electricity" (Worcester Evening Gazette, March 19, 1881). Frances would serve as the first president of the organization and would be posthumously honored years later at a 75th anniversary celebration of the club. As you can see below, one of the 1955 club members acted as Frances in a commemorative play and the club created a figurine meant to represent Frances as well.

Rehearsing Anniversary Play, Worcester Telegram, April 17, 1955

The Death of Frances M. Baker

Frances M. Baker returned to Worcester on August 10, 1891 but felt under the weather upon her arrival at the house of her friend, Mrs. Charles W. Smith, where she would be staying while in the city. Alas, her illness turned into pneumonia and she died on August 25, 1891 at the age of 78. Her obituary in the Worcester Daily Spy noted that she had last visited the Worcester Free Public Library two weeks prior. Her obituary in the Worcester Evening Gazette paid tribute to her brilliance, stating "if anyone wanted to know a quotation or an historical date, Mrs. Baker was pretty sure to have it at her tongue's end" (Worcester Evening Gazette, August 25, 1891). She was taken to Plymouth, Vermont, where she was buried in the Plymouth Notch Cemetery.

Conclusion

We hope you've enjoyed our post about Callina Barnes and Frances M. Baker - we actually think Frances had a much more fascinating life than Zephaniah Baker! For more information about the history of Worcester Public Library and its first head librarian, visit our previous blog posts.

Acknowledgements

A special thank you to Wendy Essery, the Library and Archives Manager at the Museum of Worcester, for helping us locate a photo of Frances M. Baker! We were positively giddy upon opening the scrapbook of the Officers of the Worcester Woman's Club and seeing the name of Frances M. Baker under the first photograph. We also thank the Chester Historical Society in Vermont for their assistance with research on Callina Barnes and the Pollard family.

Sources:

"Amusements, Meetings, &c." (1883, January 11). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 1.

Baker, F. M. (1844, May 10). "Anti-Slavery in Canterbury." The Liberator, p. 1.

Baker, F. M. (1851, December 6). "The Spirit's Mission." The Anti-Slavery Bugle, p. 5.

"City News." (1874, February 2). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 1. 

Davis, G. A. (1874). Centennial Celebration Together with a Historical Sketch of Reading, Windsor County, Vermont. Steam Press.

"The Education of Freedmen." (1864, April 14). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 2.

"Frances Shedd Baker." (1891, August 25). Worcester Evening Gazette, p. 5. 

Free Public Library (1861). The First Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library.

Free Public Library (1862). The Second Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library.

Free Public Library (1863). The Third Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library.

Free Public Library (1867). The Seventh Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library.

Free Public Library (1869). The Ninth Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library.

Gallina "Calla" Barnes Pollard. (2017). https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/180827168/gallina-pollard

"Local Notes." (1881, January 8). Worcester Evening Gazette, p. 2. 

Natural History Society (1890, November 23). Worcester Sunday Telegram, p. 4.

"An Old Teacher Gone." (1891. August 26). Worcester Telegram, p. 1.

Rehearsing Anniversary Play (1955, April 17). Worcester Telegram, p. 1D.

"School Committee." (1868, December 9). Worcester Evening Gazette, p. 2.

"School Matters." (1869, April 7). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 3.

"Select School." (1869, September 3). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 1. 

"Select Young Ladies' School." (1845, April 19). Trumpet and Universalist Magazine, p. 2. 

"Temperance Meeting." (1886, September 1). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 3.

"The Women's Club." (1881, March 19). Worcester Evening Gazette, p. 2.

"Women's Suffrage Association." (1870, January 1). Aegis and Gazette, p. 4.

The Worcester Almanac, Directory, and Business Advertiser for 1861. (1861). Henry J. Howland.

Zephaniah Baker: Head Librarian and So Much More...

We recently wrote a post about the early years of Worcester Public Library where we briefly introduced you to our first head librarian, Zephaniah Baker. While Zephaniah Baker isn't as well-known a figure in our library's history compared to Dr. John Green or Samuel Swett Green, he certainly had a number of professions and interests that we felt might be worthy of its own blog post. In addition to being the first head librarian charged with starting and maintaining the public library, Baker was a minister, farmer, bookseller, world traveler, author, and architect! So sit back, relax, and get ready to read about the man the Worcester Evening Gazette described in 1964 as a "screwball genius!"

Zephaniah Baker (Photograph by 1890s photographer Herman Schervee of an earlier image of unknown origin), from the American Antiquarian Society

Zephaniah Baker: The Beginning

So who was Zephaniah Baker? Zephaniah Baker was born July 17, 1815, in Dudley, Massachusetts to Mercy and Jacob Baker, a farmer, and was the third of their five children, the last of whom died in infancy. Zephaniah also had four half-siblings from his mother's first marriage to Zebulon Morris, who died in 1806. 

Many of the details of his early life appeared in the autobiography that he wrote in March 1889, a little more than five years before he passed away. While we have not located a copy of this autobiography, it is referenced in a publication by one of our other former head librarians, Robert K. Shaw, Some Notes on Zephaniah Baker, 1815 - 1894, that was read before the Worcester Historical Society in 1936. One of Zephaniah's reminisces of his youth mentions his love of books after a girl he befriended moved away, "She was forgotten, as I got hold of reading, then books became my society, aside of Mother and home" (Shaw, 1936, p. 3). Baker was listed as a student at Nichols Academy studying Greek in 1835. Beloved father Jacob Baker died in 1836 when Zephaniah was 21, as a result of injuries incurred two years prior in an accident. 

The Clergyman

Zephaniah Baker took comfort in religion after the death of his father, and later became a Universalist minister where he preached at services throughout New England. He married his first wife, Frances Maria Shedd, (hereafter "Mrs. Baker"), on June 1, 1840 in Chester, Vermont.

Reverend Baker and Mrs. Baker moved around a couple of times in his role as clergyman, including to Connecticut and New York. Not all of his Fifth Universalist Society of New York congregants appreciated his labors. According to the September 20, 1848, issue of the religious newspaper Boston Investigator, one objector declared, "He appears so much like a mechanic!!" (Yes, the quote did in fact have two exclamation marks). Unfortunately, Reverend Baker was "obliged to relinquish [his duties as minister of the New York congregation] on account of bronchial difficulty, whereby speech was denied him" (Lincoln, 1862, p. 338). By 1850, Baker and his wife were living in Akron, Ohio, where his occupation was listed as "Clergyman Uni" (Universalist) in the 1850 federal census.

1850 Federal Census Record Showing Zephaniah and Frances Baker

Baker and his wife would occasionally write columns or be featured in articles in the Boston-based Trumpet and Universalist magazine when they returned to New England. Baker would also continue to perform weddings and preach even after he became Worcester's head librarian in 1860.

The Bookseller

By 1854, the Bakers were back in Massachusetts, and Zephaniah Baker took ownership of a Worcester book and stationery business at "The Old Stand" (184 Main Street, opposite the American Temperance House) from Edward Livermore. Baker renamed the company as "Z. Baker & Co." and by January 1855, opened a second bookstore at the No. 2 Worcester House Block (Main Street between Elm and Maple Streets). In the same month, Z. Baker & Co. offered a special offer on books to entice tobacco users to give up the habit. 

Advertisement from The Worcester Almanac, Directory, and Business Advertiser for 1855

Special Offer, Worcester Daily Spy, January 20, 1855.

The second bookstore store was short lived. Z. Baker & Co. sold the store at No. 2 Worcester House Block by April, and a couple of months later became enmeshed in a competitor war in the local newspapers with Edward Livermore. Edward Livermore had left Worcester after originally selling his business to Baker in 1854 to build a publishing company in New York City but then started a new book business in September 1855 at the No. 2 Worcester House Block in Worcester (yes, one of the former locations of Z. Baker & Co.!) with J.K. Banister (also spelled Bannister in some newspapers) as his agent. Baker felt Livermore should not have dared compete with his business. Below are three notices published in the Worcester Daily Spy on October 5, 1855. Edward Livermore's Worcester store would last less than a year but he continued to be a publisher in New York thereafter.

Correspondence by Z. Baker & Co., Worcester Daily Spy, October 5, 1855

Correspondence by J. K. Bannister, Worcester Daily Spy, October 5, 1855

Correspondence by J. K. Banister, Worcester Daily Spy, October 5, 1855

By late October 1855, Z. Baker & Co. added a partner and became "Baker, Trumbull & Barnes" but in May of the following year, the partnership was dissolved and the name of the company reverted back to Z. Baker & Co.

Advertisement for Z. Baker & Co., Worcester Daily Transcript, July 11, 1857

Z. Baker & Co. existed for two more years, with the addition and then dissolution of a copartnership with William H. Sanford in 1857. William H. Sanford took over the business and acquired the books and other merchandise from Z. Baker & Co. in November 1857. 

The final references to Baker & Co.'s bookselling business in the local newspapers occurred in 1859 and 1860, when Z. Baker and his former business partner, Moses Barnes, were sued by John Marcy over an outstanding loan of $1000, even though Barnes claimed the note was a forgery. The jury of the second trial eventually found for Marcy.

The Author, Publisher, and Builder

Of course, Zephaniah Baker wasn't only interested in merely selling books during that time. In 1856, Baker wrote and published a book entitled, The Cottage Builder's Manual, that consisted of his thoughts, plans, and specifications for constructing cottages. Baker was the architect of several round houses during the height of that architectural style's popularity, including 12-sided and 8-sided structures, at least one of which still exists today in Dudley! The Cottage Builder's Manual is currently available to read electronically in the public domain at the following Google Books link. In 1857, Baker wrote another book about building houses entitled, Modern House Builder, From the Log Cabin and Cottage to the Mansion. This book is also available in the public domain via the following Google Books link.

Architectural Plan for a 12-Sided Cottage, from The Cottage Builder's Manual, 1856

Google Streetview Image (captured Aug 2023) of a House Built by Zephaniah Baker

Zephaniah Baker would also publish other books throughout the years. For instance he would publish an English translation of the Chinese Classics as translated by James Legge of the London Missionary Society. Of course, English publishers in London felt that only they had the right to publish an English language translation by Legge, but it seems that Baker's publication was allowed to occur in the absence of international copyright law.

The Chinese Classics, translated by James Legge and published by Z. Baker

The Head Librarian

February 17, 1860 brought a new career for Zephaniah Baker: first head librarian of the Worcester Free Public Library. You can read more about his tenure at the library in our blog post but some highlights during this time include officially opening the library in its temporary Bank Block Building location; organizing and maintaining the library in its new Elm Street building location, along with Miss Callina Barnes as first assistant and his wife, Mrs. Baker, as the second assistant; and instituting several changes, including opening the library's first reading room. 

The Second Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library indicated that, "Mr. Baker's almost intuitive knowledge of books has been of great service" (p. 4). Zephaniah Baker was also generous with his own books and his desire to put needed books into the hands of patrons. In fact, as he wrote in The Eighth Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library, "I have loaned freely from my private collection when the Library did not have the book wanted. It has been my endeavor to meet each and every call for books as expeditiously as possible, and in the exact spirit of the request" (p.15). Zephaniah Baker would be in charge of the library until 1871.

Of course, the Civil War occurred during Baker's tenure. Both Bakers were involved in the abolitionist movement, with the head librarian writing a letter to the editor of the Worcester Daily Spy supporting the fight to be "free of this accursed rebellion and the curse (slavery) that has bred it."

Editor Spy, Worcester Daily Spy, January 18, 1864

Zephaniah's personality shines through some of the remarks shared in Robert K. Shaw's publication. One office boy for a nearby bookstore remembered Zephaniah Baker during the late 1860s as being "a man of genial temperament" and a "ready conversationalist." However, "[Zephaniah] and his cronies would often linger to chat after the closing hour of eight in the evening, to the intense disgust and annoyance of the impatient office boy" (Shaw, 1936, p. 1A)

The World Traveler

Zephaniah Baker took a two-month trip abroad without his wife towards the end of his tenure as head librarian to visit libraries and acquire books to add to the library's collection. He also wrote about his experiences in Europe in several Worcester Evening Gazette and Aegis and Gazette columns, where he cantankerously complained about the English and their prolific use of profanity. He seemed to love France and Switzerland, but was not a fan of Scotland (specifically the Scottish people and their alleged vices). He mentioned that his birds accompanied him on his voyage and complained about the food on his passage back to the United States on one of the Anchor Lines steamships. He also seemed to despise his short stay in Liege, Belgium, stating, "Our train left us for the night at Liege, and for a long time, I was quite sure we had been dropped in Sodom" (Aegis and Gazette, April 23, 1870).

Passport Application for Zephaniah Baker, June 1869

Notes on Foreign Travel, Worcester Evening Gazette, December 6, 1869

Notes on Foreign Travel, Aegis & Gazette, January 22, 1870

The Farmer

In addition to all of his other activities, Baker had a farm in Dudley, where he raised horses and showed some of them at exhibitions and related agricultural shows. He was also involved in the Dudley Farmers' Club and served on the executive board for a number of years after his retirement from the library. The 1870 death of one of his horses, a massive horse weighing 2,250 pounds known as Clydesdale Tom, was so noteworthy that it was mentioned in the Worcester Daily Spy! Eleven months later in 1871, the papers reported that Baker intended to have the skeleton of Clydesdale Tom properly mounted as a natural history specimen. We're not sure what happened to the remains in the interim between Clydesdale Tom's death and the mounting of the skeleton, or where the mounted remains were finally displayed.

The Retiree

Zephaniah Baker announced to Worcester that he was starting up his bookselling business again in December 1870, a couple of weeks before it was announced that he would no longer serve as head librarian of the Worcester Free Public Library. It appears that this business located at 3 Lincoln House Block was short-lived. 

Zephaniah Baker and Mrs. Baker* were living at different addresses according to the 1870 federal census and divorced presumably in the early 1870s. Divorce was a somewhat uncommon practice in those days, although not rare. They never had any children. Oddly enough (or maybe not so odd since we've definitely seen errors in vital records while doing local history or genealogy research in the past), her death record in 1891 indicates that she was the widow of Zephaniah, even though she died before him. 

He later married his second wife, Sarah Dwight on April 27, 1873.  He was 57 and she was 35 at the time of their marriage and they also never had any children. According to a letter by Mr. D. H. Dwight, a cousin of Sarah, "[Zephaniah] was a fluent and interesting talker, of generous disposition and well liked by the young people; a brainy man, but rather eccentric" (Shaw, 1936, p. 24).

As we previously mentioned, Zephaniah Baker continued to write in his later years. In addition to his autobiography, Baker authored a chapter on the history of Dudley in the two volume book, History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, published in 1879.

Zephaniah Baker died at the age of 79 from stomach cancer on November 24, 1894, in Southbridge. He was buried in the Baker family plot at the Village Cemetery in Dudley. Sarah Dwight Baker would die in 1919. Randomly, the Worcester Evening Gazette in 1964 claimed that Baker built a carriage with a round body and that when he died, his mortal remains were left to Harvard College. We have not seen any proof to back up these statements so we'd take them with a grain of salt.

Conclusion

So there you have it: biographical sketches of our complicated but multitalented first head librarian, Zephaniah Baker. We hope you've you learned a something new today. For more information about the history of the Worcester Public Library, we invite you to view our older blog posts at the following link.

P.S.

*Honestly, we found Frances Baker's life fascinating, especially her independent life where she was a teacher as well as a lecturer at the Worcester Natural History Society after she separated from Zephaniah. We'll have to share more about her in a future blog! 

Sources:

Baker, Z. (1856). The Cottage Builder's Manual. Z. Baker & Co.

Baker, Z. (1857). Modern House Builder, From the Log Cabin and Cottage to the Mansion. Higgins, Bradley, and Dayton.

Baker, Z. (1864, January 18). "Editor Spy." Worcester Daily Spy, p. 2. 

Baker, Z. (1869, December 6). "Notes on Foreign Travel." Worcester Evening Gazette, p. 1.

Baker, Z. (1870, January 13). "Notes on Foreign Travel." Worcester Evening Gazette, p. 1.

Baker, Z. (1870, January 22). "Notes on Foreign Travel." Aegis and Gazette, p. 4.

Baker, Z. (1870, March 5). "Notes on Foreign Travel." Aegis and Gazette, p. 5.

Baker, Z. (1870, April 23). "Notes on Foreign Travel." Aegis and Gazette, p. 3.

"Baker's Edition of 'The Chinese Classics.'" (1866, June 15). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 2.

"County News." (1871, November 4). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 1.

"Court Record." (1859, April 20). Worcester Daily Transcript, p. 2.

"Death of a Mammoth Horse." (1870, December 12). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 1.

"Dissolution of Copartnership." (1856, May 27). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 3.

"Our Rich Men." (1857, August 31). Worcester Daily Transcript, p. 2.

Free Public Library. (1862). The Second Annual Report of the Free Public Library, Worcester.

Grow, J. F. (1964, January 20). "Good Evening." Worcester Evening Gazette, p. 7.

Lincoln, W. (1862). History of Worcester, Massachusetts from Its Earliest Settlement to September 1836. Charles Hersey.

Shaw, R. (1936). Some Notes on Zephaniah Baker, 1815 - 1894.

"Supreme Court." (1860, April 18). Massachusetts Spy, p. 2.

The Worcester Almanac, Directory, and Business Advertiser for 1855. (1855). Henry J. Howland.

Z. Baker & Co. (1855, April 6). "Agents! Book Agents!!" Worcester Daily Journal, p. 3.

Z. Baker & Co. (1855, October 23). "Copartnership Notice." Worcester Transcript, p. 3.

In the Beginning: The Early Years of the Worcester Free Public Library

February is National Library Lover's Month and since we know how much you love your library, we figured we'd share the early history of what was originally known as the Worcester Free Public Library under the tenure of the first head librarian, Zephaniah Baker. Get cozy with a nice warm beverage (or iced coffee if that's your jam), and get ready to read!

Illustration of the Worcester Free Public Library, Worcester Illustrated, 1876

Establishing the Library

As we've discussed in previous blog posts, a donation of a 7,500 volume book collection by Dr. John Green III and the 4,500 volume library of the Worcester Lyceum and Library Association enabled the creation of the Worcester Free Public Library. The Worcester Daily Transcript reported on the proposed donation on December 6, 1859 by publishing the communications by Alexander H. Bullock, then mayor of Worcester; Dr. Green; and S. Foster Haven, Jr. of the Worcester Lyceum and Library Association. 

Worcester Daily Transcript, December 6, 1859

Undated Portrait of Dr. John Green by E. Billings

On December 23, 1859, the City of Worcester passed an ordinance that officially established the Worcester Free Public Library. The ordinance also declared Dr. Green an honorary lifetime member of the Library Board of Directors and laid out the terms of the twelve people who would serve as directors the library board. Now, you may be wondering, what made the library a "free public library?" Unlike the previous private or subscription-based libraries in Worcester, the city would use taxpayer money to fund the new library. The Massachusetts state legislature had passed a bill in 1851 to "authorize, encourage, and ensure the formation" and maintenance of public libraries by its cities and towns.

House Bill No. 124, 1851

Notice No. 168, passed Dec 23, 1859

Hon. William W. Rice announced in his 1860 inaugural mayoral address that the city council had selected the directors for the library board and the city had purchased a plot of land on Elm Street from Hon. Emory Washburn to be used as the site of the future library building. Other library directors in the first full year of the library's life would include prominent Worcester men such as Alexander H. Bullock (a 1-term mayor in 1859 and the board president for the first year of the library's existence), William W. Rice (yes, the 1-term mayor was also a library board member who would become library board president in 1861), Isaac Davis (3-time mayor in 1856, 1858, and 1861), and Stephen Salisbury (the third board president).

In the meantime, the newly created Worcester Free Public Library would temporarily operate out of the third floor of the Bank Block Building on Foster Street, with the rent for the first year being $205 according to the First Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library ("The First Annual Report "). The Worcester Lyceum and Library Association had previously used the space and it would be easier to keep the materials in one place and only move the collection when the new building was constructed.

Worcester Bank Block, Home to the Temporary Location of the Worcester Free Public Library

On February 17, 1860, the library board elected a former bookseller, Reverend Zephaniah Baker, as the head librarian (more about him in a future blog post). The library board decreed that Zephaniah Baker would be paid an annual salary of $500 that first year and Miss Callina Barnes would be paid $250 in her position as assistant for that same year. The annual salary would increase to $800 and $300 respectively for Mr. Baker and Miss Barnes at the beginning of 1861.

Zephaniah Baker (Photograph by 1890s photographer Herman Schervee of an earlier image of unknown origin), from the American Antiquarian Society

Opening the Library

The library initially opened for the delivery of books from its circulating department on March 27, 1860. Worcester residents of any gender over the age of 14 were eligible to use the library (the minimum age would be raised to 15 by 1861). The library was made up of two departments: the Green department (also known as the Green Library), a non-circulating reference collection comprising of the gift from Dr. Green; and the circulating department.

Worcester Daily Spy, March 27, 1860

The library was instantly popular, even with the catalogues costing 10 cents (almost $4 in today's currency). According to the Worcester Daily Spy the following day, 200 people opened accounts at the library and 36 of them purchased catalogues. Over 700 people opened accounts by the end of the first week. Zephaniah Baker even had to publish a notice in the Worcester Daily Spy asking the eager library patrons to select their list of books prior to their library visit to avoid inconveniencing others (see notice below).

Worcester Daily Spy, April 5, 1860

The library officially opened to the public on April 30, 1860. The First Annual Report indicated part of the delay resulted from needing to rebind and cover some of the books in the collection.

Worcester Daily Spy, April 30, 1860

On July 4, 1860, the city of Worcester celebrated the 84th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence with a grand and glorious celebration that began with the laying of the cornerstone of the future library building on Elm Street (and then continued with a festive procession, a balloon ascension on the Worcester Common, and horse races at the Agricultural Fairgrounds). The contents of the box placed in the cornerstone included copies of city documents, copies of the various city newspapers, the sixth annual report of the Worcester Lyceum and Library Association, and a silver plate engraved with the date of the establishment of the library as well as other information about its founding.

By August, builders had completed work on the basement of the new library building and started to work on the first floor. Alvan T. Burgess was the mason and the carpentry work was done by H. and A. Palmer, using plans by Boston architect Charles K. Kirby. The brick building was to be 60' x 70' and two stories high.

During its first year of operation, the library purchased approximately two thousand books and received a number of donations, including public documents and a set of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. The First Annual Report noted that it would not be in the library's best interest to extensively acquire any other books until they moved into the new building. 

Hon. Isaac Davis, the new mayor of Worcester in 1861, referenced the library in his inaugural address stating, "In the short period of little more than a year, the city is possessed a large and valuable library, open to all, high or low, rich or poor, native or foreign, under the rules and regulations of the Directors" (Worcester Daily Spy, January 8, 1861). However, he was not pleased with the plans for the new library building because it seemed that some of the rooms were scheduled to be allocated to other purposes such as space for the assessors, the medical society, the agricultural society, and the society of natural history. Davis felt that the new library as planned would not be able to accommodate much growth of the library's collection and it would be "difficult and expensive" if the library needed to expand. The Worcester Palladium felt that Davis should have made his opinions about the proposed construction known earlier, seeing as he was one of the trustees of the library board when the plans were first announced. A "member of the late city government" wrote a scathing piece in the Worcester Daily Spy that took offense at the new mayor's remarks and rebutted the attacks against the plan for the library's layout. Political drama!

On June 4, 1861, the library demanded the return of any books that were borrowed and halted any new borrowing of library books until the library could move to the new location on Elm Street.

Worcester Daily Spy, June 4, 1861

In July 1861, the city passed an ordinance further clarifying the role of the library board of directors in regards to spending appropriations and for the care and custody of the library building and its collection.

Worcester Daily Spy, July 24, 1861

The Elm Street Library Building

By the end of August 1861, the library had moved into the new Elm Street building and was preparing to open to the public. The Worcester Daily Spy reported that the library now had 15,000 books in its collection, including an additional 1,600 books added by Dr. Green (Dr. Green would continue to add books to the collection until his death). The circulating department of the library opened on September 4, 1861 with a new 186 page catalogue created by Miss C. P. Hawes. The circulating library opened to the public during the evenings on November 25, 1861 after the gas fixtures were installed (lighting helps!).

Undated Photo of the Original Elm Street Library Building

Catalogue of the Circulating Department, 1861

Worcester Daily Spy, September 3, 1861

Free Public Library of the City of Worcester: Rules, Regulations, and Documents, 1862

In order to keep track of the books, the library would close for a certain period of time almost every year for an "annual examination." Mr. Baker would request that all books be returned in advance of the examinations and then the library staff would inventory the collection and see if any books were missing.

Worcester Daily Spy, July 9, 1863

The Green Library

It would take longer to organize the Green Library and to open that department to the public. In November 1861, the library unveiled a statue of Dr. Green modelled by Mr. B. H. Kinney that would be housed in the new Green Library.* The Green Library would open daily in the first quarter of 1862, with the same hours as the circulating collection. The wife of Mr. Baker, Mrs. Z. Baker (born Frances Maria Shedd), served as the second assistant in the library and in March 1862, would start organizing a detailed catalogue for the Green Library collection, in addition to other responsibilities. 

Undated Photograph of Statue of Dr. Green

Free Public Library of the City of Worcester: Rules, Regulations, and Documents, 1862

The January 27, 1863 issue of the Worcester Daily Spy reported that the library had received materials donations to the library by private donors in the previous year and new year, including government documents and additional donations by Dr. Green. Furthermore, Mrs. Z. Baker was making considerable progress on developing a card catalogue for the Green Library collection.

Bookplate Indicating Gift of Dr. John Green to the Library, March 27, 1862

A problem emerged in March 1863: the glass roof of the Elm Street building needed to be replaced because it leaked on the books. By November of that year, the glass roof was replaced with a more waterproof wood roof covered with tin and a glass window in the middle to better illuminate the Green Library below. 

The Fourth Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library in January 1864 noted that the non-circulating collection of the library, consisting of the Green Library and the Medical Society's library, totaled 13,951 volumes. The Green Library's catalogue would be completed aside from the public documents by the beginning of the following year. Mrs. Z. Baker would complete the card catalogue and a catalogue in two bound volumes by January 1866.

Inside Front Page of the Index to the Catalog of the Books in the "Green Library" Department
September 1, 1865

Handwritten Entries in the Green Department Catalogue, 1865

Other Occupants of the Library Building

During the 1860s, the Elm Street library building would rent some of their unused rooms to other organizations. By the end of 1861, the Worcester District Medical Society and the Natural History Society had moved into the new library building. According to the municipal proceedings of November 1861, the public would also be able to use the Medical Society's medical library, although it would not be a circulating library. The library would also be able to ask the societies to vacate with six months notice if the library ever needed to use the rooms for library purposes. According to the Second Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library in January 1862, the Natural History Society exhibited specimens in cabinets in the basement of the library and the farmers of Worcester (known as the Farmer's Club) had started to regularly meet at the library. The Natural History Society's cabinet room in the library opened to the public on February 26, 1862. The Office of the City's Assessors would also occupy a basement room in the library for several years. 

By the beginning of 1864, mayor-elect Waldo Lincoln reported in his inaugural address that a room in the basement of the library would be temporarily used as a grammar school for girls, and in 1865, the next mayor would report that the school could accommodate 56 students. An evening school for girls and women began at the library in 1866. City officials such as the Superintendent of Schools and the Collector of Internal Revenue would also briefly occupy space in the library building starting in 1866, during construction at City Hall and the new soon-to-be built government building on Pearl Street began.

The Library's First Reading Room

We take for granted that a library would have space available for library patrons to sit and enjoy reading the daily newspaper or favorite magazines but this was a new concept for Worcester in the 1860s. On May 31, 1864, the library board voted to establish a reading room at the library. By April 1865, the library had raised $10,600 in subscriptions for the endowment of the reading room and they sought suggestions for newspapers and magazines to be available in that space. Stephen Salisbury would be one of the largest subscribers to the reading room fund with a contribution of $4,000. The reading room opened to both men and women in May 1865 and contained local, national, and international publications such as the Worcester Spy, London Illustrated, Harpers' Monthly, and Art Journal. The library would also add several agricultural publications to the collection by November 1865.

Worcester Daily Transcript, August 12, 1865

Death of Dr. John Green

The library's esteemed founder, Dr. Green, died on October 17, 1865 at the age of almost 82 years. The library board held a special meeting upon the death of Dr. Green, wherein library board president Stephen Salisbury paid tribute to the man and the board voted to close the library and its reading room until October 23 "out of respect for the memory of Dr. Green" (Worcester Daily Spy, October 19, 1865). The Worcester City Council adopted a unanimous resolution in remembrance of Dr. Green and announced they would attend his funeral. Furthermore, the Worcester County Natural History Society and the Worcester District Medical Society mourned the loss of their friend and benefactor. Dr. Green would be buried in Worcester's Rural Cemetery. As another tribute, the city council later voted to commission a portrait of Dr. Green, which was then hung in the library in late 1866.

Death of Dr. Green, Worcester Daily Spy, October 18, 1865

A couple of days later, Dr. Green's will was filed for Probate. The bequest of a permanent "Green Library Fund" ensured that his legacy regarding the Green Library and the public library as a whole would continue for years to come. The library still benefits from Dr. Green's generous legacy.

More Changes and the End of an Era

Miss Barnes resigned from her position as first Assistant Librarian on April 1, 1866 after being in that role since the library's early days. She would be replaced by Miss Emma S. Eddy (later referred to as Mrs. Phillips after her 1871 marriage), who would work in the capacity until the beginning of 1872.

In the aftermath of the Civil War, various people and institutions in the city attempted to determine the best way to memorialize the men of Massachusetts who died for the union. One idea promoted by the Worcester Spy and Mr. Baker was the building of a memorial building that would house the public library. However, this idea never came to fruition.

Early 1867 brought a new and somewhat controversial proposal by the library board: to open a reading room to the public on Sundays, "at hours not appropriated for divine service," in an effort to give young people a warm place to go, where they would not be tempted by "idleness and vice" (Massachusetts Weekly Spy, February 1, 1867). Alas, Sunday hours for any part of the Worcester Free Public Library would not begin under Baker's tenure and in fact, it would take until late 1872 for the library board to approve this change with the opening of the reading room (P.S. we were ahead of the Boston Public Library on Sunday hours because religious officials in Boston vehemently opposed it there!).

By fall 1867, the Natural History Society had outgrown their space in the library's basement and moved to the Worcester Bank Block where they united with their parent organization, the Worcester Lyceum, and were able to better display their specimen cabinets. This move made room for a new newspaper reading room in the library's basement that would be open 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Patrons could access the lower reading room space from the street via an entrance on the east side of the building or by an inside staircase from the Green Library. The Worcester Evening Gazette hoped that the reading room would help young out-of-work men pass the time, instead of visit the billiard halls and saloons, where they could potentially engage in criminal activity.

Zephaniah Baker took an 8-week trip abroad in the summer of 1869, where he visited other libraries in Great Britain and France and acquired several new books for the library's collection. Mrs. Z. Baker resigned as Assistant Librarian and opened a school for young people in September of that year.

In October 1870, the library made some improvements to the entrance of the library and added steam heating. Some of the funds for these repairs came from the fees collected by the city for dog licenses.

Location of Worcester Free Public Library in 1870, Atlas of the City of Worcester, 1870

In the beginning of 1871, the library announced that Zephaniah Baker would not seek another year of being the head library of the library. The Eleventh Annual Report of the Board of Directors of the Free Public Library for the year ending January 1, 1871 stated that Baker, "first accepted the office with the intention of holding it for no longer time than would be sufficient to organize the Library and get it in working order." By this time, Baker had three assistants working under him: Miss Eddy, Miss Sarah F. Earle, and Miss Jessie E. Tyler. 

Shortly thereafter, the library appointed Samuel Swett Green, library board member and Dr. Green's nephew, as the new head librarian. Samuel Swett Green would become notable in the library world, including for changes he made to the Worcester Free Public Library, among other things, but that's another story for another day (you can read some more about him here: https://mywpl.org/Samuel-swett-green).

There you have it: a history of the Worcester Free Public Library from its early days through the end of the tenure of Zephaniah Baker. We hope you've learned a couple of new things today and that you'll think of this post when you visit any of our library branches!

*At some point in the library's history, the statue of Dr. Green fell into ruin (see below) and therefore did not make the move to the new library building at Salem Square in 1964.

"Library's Walls Will Crumble, But Not Its Heart," Worcester Telegram, May 11, 1964

Acknowledgement

A special thank you to the American Antiquarian Society for the use of their image of Zephaniah Baker from their collection.

Sources:

"Action of the Directors of the Public Library on the Death of Dr. Green." (1865, October 18). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 2.

"The Catalog of the Free Public Library." (1861, September 9). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 2.

"The City Council on the Death of Dr. Green." (1865, October 23). Worcester Daily Transcript, p. 2.

"City and County." (1865, August 12). Worcester Daily Transcript, p. 2.

"City and County." (1862, February 26). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 2.

"City and County." (1861, August 29). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 2.

"City of Worcester." (1861, July 24). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 2.

"Free Public Library." (1861, June 4). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 2.

"Free Public Library. (1860, April 5). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 2.

Free Public Library. (1861).  The First Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library. 

Free Public Library. (1862).  The Second Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library. 

Free Public Library. (1863).  The Third Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library. 

Free Public Library. (1864).  The Fourth Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library. 

Free Public Library. (1865).  The Fifth Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library. 

Free Public Library. (1866).  The Sixth Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library. 

Free Public Library. (1867).  The Seventh Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library. 

Free Public Library. (1868).  The Eighth Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library. 

Free Public Library. (1869).  The Ninth Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library. 

Free Public Library. (1870).  The Tenth Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library. 

Free Public Library. (1871).  The Eleventh Annual Report of the Directors of the Free Public Library. 

"Free Public Library - Annual Report." (1865, February 2). Massachusetts Weekly Spy, 96 (5), p. 2.

"Free Public Reading Room." (1865, November 22). Worcester Daily Transcript, p. 2.

"Free Reading for All." (1868, January 31). Worcester Evening Gazette, p. 2.

"General Matters." (1866, October 3). Worcester Evening Gazette, p. 2.

"Inauguration of the City Government for 1865." (1865, January 2). Worcester Daily Transcript, p. 1.

"The Mayor's Inaugural Address of Hon. Isaac Davis." (1861, January 8). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 1.

"Municipal Affairs." (1863, September 8). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 2.

"Municipal Proceedings." (1861, November 22). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 2.

"New Buildings in Worcester." (1860, August 4). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 2.

"New Year's Gifts to the Free Public Library." (1863, January 27). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 2.

"Proceedings on the Death of Dr. John Green." (1865, October 25). The Worcester Palladium, p. 3.

"Public Library." (1870, October 19). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 1.

"The Public Library." (1869, September 1). Worcester Evening Gazette, p. 2.

"The Public Library." (1863, November 4). Worcester Daily Transcript, p. 2.

"The Public Library." (1861, September 7). National Aegis, p. 2.

"The Public Library." (1860, April 3). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 2.

"The Public Library." (1860, March 28). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 2.

"Public Library Reading Room." (1864, June 21). Worcester Daily Transcript, p. 2.

"The Public Schools." (1866, December 8). National Aegis, p. 1.

"Public Reading Room." (1865, April 13). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 2.

"Select School." (1869, September 3). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 1.

Tubert, J. (1964, May 11). "Library's Walls Will Crumble, But Not Its Heart." Worcester Telegram, p. 9.

"What Worcester Needs." (1866, February 10). Worcester Daily Spy, p. 2.