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When I was growing up in Oxford, Massachusetts, the Oxford Free Public Library was a prominent influence in my experiences. Yes, there were the stacks of books. There were also art classes on the second floor. And, the second floor had a small room full of artifacts from our past: buttons from the Revolutionary War, bullets from the Civil War, a canteen from World War I. My first introduction to war was in that small room in the library. But, my first taste for learning, and History in particular, also came from within the walls of that wonderful stone building.

Oxford has a long history of book lending, dating as early as 1719. Books were donated by "well wishers" of the town, for the ministers to use. There was a "Social Library" and later, a "Farmer's Library".

In 1869, the town voted to organize a "Free Public Library". This was implemented by the generous donation of $1,000 by Judge Ira M. Barton, willed upon his death in 1867. The library was located in the Oxford Town Hall, pictured to the left. The present library building was erected in 1903. At that time, Mr. Charles Larned, a native and former resident of Oxford, offered to build a "Free Public Library" for the town, as a memorial to his mother. The building was to be known as the "Charles Larned Memorial".

The town dedicated the newly renovated and expanded library in the Spring of 2001. My father Philip L. Hopkins and Mom Til had been involved in fund raising for the project...which brought me back to the library for the first time in thirty years. The smell of old books and wood was still hanging in the old section. The old desk that greeted visitors is still beautiful. The old children's room is still filled with charm. The stain glass windows have been cleaned and their beauty is now really impressive.

But, the large room had been transformed into a sitting area, instead of being an integral part of the stacks. I did not remember the fireplace, now dominating the room. The library could offer this wonderful room for quiet reading, because It has undergone a major expansion and renovation project, that more than tripled the size of the building.

The wall that had been the outside back of the original library building, was taken down during the expansion. A piece of that wall can be seen in the picture to the left. The only memory of what was is this original portion of the old, incorporated into the new. When walking from the old early Twentieth Century building into the new Twenty-First Century addition, there is a feeling of continuity. Past meeting Future.The children's room is totally different and seemed to represent the true differences between the library I knew, and the library my nephews and nieces will remember. Colors and computers. Physical activity joined with mental exercises.

I am extraordinarily proud of my home town. Instead of tearing down the old to build anew, they joined the two, past and future. In addition to a collection of old books, there is a museum section, and a couple of cabinets containing memorabilia, prominently displaying the past in a roomful of computers.

The guy with the bear is my Dad and the window area was donated by him and Mom to the children of Oxford.

The Library Fund Raising Committee is continuing to raise monies to furbish and equip this new library.

To find out more about contributing to the library, please see http://www.miami-dade-online.com/Oxford.htm

To see a photo-essay on the stain glass found in the old library, see http://www.miami-dade-online.com/Oxford-stainglass.htm

To see the library's website, see http://www.homestead.com/oxfordfree/publiclibrary.html

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