Amesbury Public Library, Amesbury, Essex Co., Massachusetts (See The Resources for Genealogists)

 

I visited this library on Saturday, November 4, 2023. Parking was tight because six churches were having their craft fairs that day. A lot of people were walking around and it was very festive. "The free public library has operated from its current location since opening day on April 24, 1902." (From their website.)

149 Main St, Amesbury, Essex Co., MA 01913

Phone: (978) 388-8148

website: https://amesburylibrary.org/

The main desk as you enter the library. (Above and below.)

This is the Amesbury Room    Local History Collection

It is located on the main floor near the entrance. There were plenty of history/genealogy books as shown in the next seven photos. The library has an archivist and a special archives room, however, this was a Saturday and it was closed. I loved the wooden blinds. The only thing this library was missing was a card catalog.

In front of the old fireplace is the reference librarian's desk. She was very helpful with an informative walk-around. The room had copy machines, current newspapers, and other reading material. All paintings were done by C. H. Davis, a "renowned landscape artist and Amesbury native." The library flyer states he studied in France and his works are at the MFA in Boston and Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. There are 16 of his oil paintings in the library.

Archives/Special Collections: Meghan Fahey, Head of Archives, 978-992-2123 – mfahey@amesburylibrary.org

The Local History Collections at https://www.amesburylibrary.org/233/Local-History-Collections provides more information.

Stairs to the children's room, a  view of the room, and the back stairs.

Down these stairs is the new addition to the library.

The Director's Office on the left, and below view is the new addition.

These front doors will take you down to the front courtyard of the Library.

The Coffin House (1678), Newbury, Massachusetts

 

The Coffin House
14 High St, Newbury, MA 01951

From the HistoricNewEngland.org website, I read, "The Coffin House story follows one of Newbury’s founding families through 1929. See two early back-to-back kitchens where the extended family cooked meals. Coffin House has wallpaper dating to 1815, one of the only surviving butteries in New England, and a fine collection of local furniture and objects. The house is furnished with items passed down in the family, and much of the interior remains unchanged since the nineteenth century." Tristram and JudithCoffin were the first Generation of Coffins. Read the website to learn about the other generations.

The room below has an enormous long table and chest that came with them from England. At the end of this post, we were given an information sheet about the house and the genealogy of the Coffin line for several generations. I don't know if you'll be able to see it clearly because it's quite light. We were told that all the furniture had been donated by various Coffin descendants and in almost every tour there is a person related to this line. I have quite a few Coffin surnames in my line and met a direct line descendant on the tour.

This chest and table apparently came with the earliest Coffins from England.

I enlarged quite a few photos, for a clear picture.

 I did not walk up these stairs to see the bedrooms.

I first saw The Coffin House when it was having a major renovation on June 14, 2023. While I walked around part of the property I had the pleasure of meeting one of the two men who live here. He told me what they knew about the house. I knew I would return in a few months when windows were up, ladders down, and a new roof on.

See below for another HistoricNewEngland house. This property is a short walk away from the Coffin House and is on the same street.

Swett-Ilsley House, Newbury, Essex Co., Massachusetts, posted January 15, 2024.

https://lifefromtheroots.blogspot.com/2023/07/blog-post.html