Saturday, September 4, 2021

"It Happens Here: Franklin The Home Of The First Public Library In America"

 CBS Boston did a spot on Franklin recently:

"The oldest, continuously operating public library in America is in Franklin, a town that has its own theme song! 
“The name of the town on the original paperwork is Exeter. Somewhere between leaving Franklin and arriving at the State House of Massachusetts in Boston, they crossed out the name Exeter and wrote in the name Franklin. So that is how we got our name, and we don’t know who did it,” says Vicki Earls, Head of Reference Services at the Franklin Public Library. 
While we don’t know who did it, we do know why – to impress Benjamin Franklin, who had just gained support from France for the American Revolution. But the town expected Franklin to reciprocate. 
“Someone got the idea, we don’t know, who of approaching Franklin and telling him the honor that was bestowed upon him, and would he want to contribute something to this newly founded town,” Earls explained. “They requested from Franklin a bell. They were building a new meeting house and a bell was crucially important because that’s how you gathered citizens.”

https://boston.cbslocal.com/2021/09/03/franklin-massachusetts-first-public-library-in-america-it-happens-here-wbz-tv/


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