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Levi Heywood Memorial Library


55 West Lynde Street

Gardner, MA 01440

phone: 1-978-632-5298

 

 

Hours:
Monday: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Tuesday: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Wednesday: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Thursday: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.*
*Closed Memorial Day - Labor Day

Local History Room Hours

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Print from computers & mobile devices $.10/page

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During inclement weather call 978-632-5298 for Library closings/delays or check our facebook page

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Hours and Contact Information

The Local History Room is open to the public on Wednesdays from 3PM-7PM and the following Saturdays 9AM-1PM:
December 2, 9 & 16
January 6, 20 & 27
February 3, 17 & 24
March 2, 16 & 30
April 6, 20 & 27
May 4, 11 & 18
*The Local History Room will now be closed on Tuesdays and Fridays
Obituary and other brief newspaper searches can be requested by contacting the Local History Librarian at historyga@cwmars.org.  

Allowable copies are at the discretion of the Local History Librarian and are for personal use only. Publication of library materials requires a contract and a fee of $50.00 per image.

About the History Room

The Local History Room is located off the Reference Room on the second floor of the Library. The collection includes materials relating to the history of the City of Gardner and surrounding areas, as well as genealogical materials. The room houses books, newspapers, maps, town directories, annual reports, street lists, atlases, photographs, manuscripts, yearbooks and pamphlets. The archives of the Heywood-Wakefield Co, which was a pre-eminent furniture manufacturer located in Gardner, are part of this collection. Materials include many of the company's furniture catalogs. While most items are unique to this room, an effort has been made to have duplicates of published Gardner histories available in the circulating collection.

The Local History Room now has two beautifully restored items relating to the Civil War, thanks to a grant from the Massachusetts Sesquicentennial Commission of the American Civil War and matching funds from the Friends of Levi Heywood Memorial Library. The first is a broadside entitled Soldier’s Memorial, listing the members and engagements of Company H, 36th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers, which includes stylized images of war scenes.  A facsimile of the broadside is on display in the first floor of the library; the original is in the Local History Room. The second is a manuscript record book of the members of D. G. Farragut Post No. 116, Grand Army of the Republic, often including death dates. Together with a book of personal narratives and Herrick’s History of the Town of Gardner, the library is fortunate to have very good accounts of Gardner Civil War participants. 

Microfilm

The Library’s collection of microfilms is located adjacent to the Reference Desk on the second floor, separate from the Local History and Genealogy Collections and can be used during open library hours. These include microfilm of The Gardner News (weekly 1869-1904; daily 1896- April 2017); The Gardner Journal (weekly 1890-1914); The Gardner Globe (weekly Apr 1891-July 1891), and Gardner census data from 1800-1930.

Check with the Reference desk on the second floor for assistance. Printouts can be made at a cost of $.10 per page.

Policies

  • No loans of materials from the Local History Room are permitted.
  • Adherence to copyright restrictions on individual items in the collection is the responsibility of the patron.
Genealogy Research Help

Genealogy

The Levi Heywood Memorial Library is offering individual help with genealogical research.  Local genealogist Marcia White will be in the Local History Room to offer assitance on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month from 10AM to 1PM. 

Helpful Links

1886 Atlas of Gardner

The Gardner Museum

HeritageQuest

Provincial Archives of New Brunswick

American-Canadian Genealogical Society

Digital Commonwealth

Internet Archive

Family Search

Rootsweb