N ORDA SHOR. EB REZ EF 
Jan. 5, 1917. 
We are offering an unusual collection of 
PERENNIAL PLANTS 
And a choice lot of Conifers. 
NORTH SHORE NURSERIES & FLORIST CO., Beverly Farms 
F. E. COLE, Prop. 
Telephone, Beverly Farms 43 
We shall be better prepared than usual to store plants for the winter. 
Dedicatory Program at New Beverly Farms Public Library 
The Misses Loring Presented the 
City With Fine Park Adjoining 
A DeEpICATORY PROGRAM was held 
last Friday afternoon at the new 
Beverly Farms public library build- 
ing. In connection with the exercises, 
which were largely attended, the 
Misses Loring of Pride’s Crossing 
presented the city of Beverly a park 
adjoining the land on which the build- 
ing stands. The appropriation for 
the library, including the $4500 for 
additional land was $30,750 and the 
commissioners in charge of the build- 
ing reported an unexpended balance 
of $32. The commission which built 
the library was as follows: E. Fred 
Day, chairman; Miss Katharine P. 
Loring, secretary ; Arthur A. Forness. 
At the opening of the exercises on 
Friday afternoon Rev. Clarence 5S. 
Pond offered prayer. Mr. Forness, 
who presided at the exercises, sketch- 
ed the work of the commission from 
the time the fund was appropriated 
until its work was ended. The new 
building was accepted for the city by 
the mayor and for the library trus- 
tees by Col. William R. Driver, chair- 
man of the trustees. 
Miss Louisa P. Loring, in behalf 
of herself and her sister, Miss Kath- 
arine P. Loring, presented the park 
adjoining the library to the city. 
Miss Loring said the gift was made 
because her parents had always loved 
Beverly above all other places and 
she and her sister had the same love 
for the old town. The park was in- 
tended as a resting place for passers- 
by and was given in the spirit of love 
for Beverly. Applause greeted the 
presentation speech. At the close of 
the program the benediction was pro- 
nounced by Rev. Nicholas R. Walsh, 
pestor of St. Margaret’s church at the 
Farms. 
The library is built of brick with 
terra cotta trimmings and is of Col- 
onial design. It was built from plans 
by Loring and Leland, Boston archi- 
tects. It is situated well back from 
Vine st. and with Loring park has de- 
lightful surroundings. The librarian’s 
room is off the vestibule of the main 
entrance and on this floor are located 
the stack room and reading rooms. 
There is a study above the librarian’s 
room. In the basement a fine hall is 
provided for community gatherings 
of all sorts. The hall has a capacity 
of 150 and has an ample stage. Heat- 
ing is obtained by steam from the 
West st. fire station and electric light- 
ing is used. The building has beer 
in use during the summer and has 
been a source of pride to the residents 
of the Farms as well as those instru- 
mental in securing its erection. 
The history of the library move- 
ment at the Farms was interestingly 
sketched by Miss Katharine P. Lor- 
ing at the dedicatory exercises. 
“One hundred and ten years ago, 
the first public library was establish- 
eq at Beverly Farms,” said Miss Lor- 
ing. ‘Fortunately we have a fairly 
good idea of it owing to the care of 
the Ober family and the generosity 
of Mrs. John A. Ober who gave to 
this library, the book case now to be 
seen in the librarian’s room, four little 
books containing the names of the 
proprietors and the catalogue of 
books owned in 1811, and the account 
books of all financial transactions 
from 1806 to 1844 or 45. 
“There were only two librarians 
during the term of the library’s exist- 
ence, a fact ascertained by a study of 
the handwriting in the little books. 
We have no clue to the name of the 
first librarian, unless a note made on 
a fly leaf of the account book indi- 
cates that he was Asa Ober. He 
served from 1806 to 1827 and the 
only salary he received seems to have 
been 75, cents in 1813, "16 and 717: 
“That the name of the second libra- 
rian was James Haskell rests on the 
evidence of two payments, one of 31 
cents and one of 75 cents made to 
James Haskell. 
“The library began with 19 mem- 
bers, and 60 books bought for $50. 
The fines were numerous, though 
small, the annual assessments from 5 - 
to 10 cents, but the library was car- 
ried on and filled its place until 1844, 
when it seems to have come to an end, 
with a debt of 47 cents ‘as the 
balance.’ 
“Of the nineteen original members 
six must have died in 1811, for in 
that year four shares were bought by 
M. Larcom, T. Marshall, .O. Wood- 
berry and Timothy Marshall, and the 
nineteen owners were besides these: 
David Larcom, Nathaniel Haskell, 
Grace Haskell, Thomas Elliott, Asa 
Ober, David Preston, Liberty Perry, 
Susanna Knowlton, Isaac Miller, 
Nabby Larcom, Betsy Haskell, Isaac 
Ober, Molly Dodge, Ben Knight, 
Joseph Woodberry. 
“In this year, 1818, there were 76 
books in the library, some of them 
were: ‘Watts on the mind,’ ‘Watts on 
the world to come,’ ‘Edwards’ life and 
sermon’s,’ ‘Edwards on Affliction,’ 
and ‘Edwards on Redemption.’ For 
light reading there was the ‘Religious 
Tradesmen’ and ‘Pilgrim’s Progress.’ 
A book of especial significance is 
‘Universalism Renounced and Ex- 
posed.’ It was about this time that 
Ezra Sargent and a clerical friend 
were preaching this doctrine at Glou- 
cester. It was not until 1831 that a 
non-religious book was bought, the 
‘Practical Gardener,’ at a cost of 75 
cents. 
“In the little book prepared by the 
first librarian (no date) for the regis- 
tration of books marks are given, (an 
asterisk) when a book was taken out. 
a double cross when returned. An- 
other mark for a book carried to ac- 
count, and an additional line when it 
