The Ashby Free Public Library (est.1874) is a public library

Public library

A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...

 in Ashby, Massachusetts

Ashby, Massachusetts

Ashby is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,120 as of the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water....

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History

The library was founded in 1874 "largely through the efforts of Rev. George S. Shaw." In the 1890s it was "kept in a private house" open to the public Tuesday and Friday afternoons. Around 1890 the Ashby library had "1,584 volumes, with which its inhabitants have a pleasant and profitable acquaintance."

In 1901 businessman and Civil War veteran Edwin Chapman donated a new building, which opened in 1902.

External links

• http://ashbylibrary.org/
• Google news archive. Articles about the library.
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/36063118@N08/3326747647/
• http://web.me.com/jstewartroberts/Massachusetts/Ashby_MA.html