To start the Dublin Public Library’s 125-year anniversary, staff and trustees unearthed a time capsule buried at the building’s groundbreaking ceremony in 1900. Inside the capsule, they found objects from the time period, including a letter written by the building’s founder, Eliza Carey Farnham.
Dublin established its first-ever library in 1793. Known as the Dublin Social Library, it had an initial collection of 93 books all covered in sheepskin, according to children’s librarian Emaline Bergeron. She added that over the next nine decades, various other small libraries and library societies developed in the town.
The Dublin Juvenile Library, established in 1822, was the nation’s first free public library supported by voluntary contributions, according to Dublin Library Trustee Chris Sprague.
According to the library’s history brochure, it wasn’t until 1884 that, at the annual meeting, a 54-21 vote approved establishing a public library. Initially located in the town hall, it was known as the Library Room and had a collection of 947 volumes. In 1890, books from the other libraries in town were added to the collection.
“Partially in order to make space for additional books, but also as a memorial to her late husband, Horace Putnam Farnham, M.D., Eliza Farnham took it upon herself to get the town to construct an actual library building separate from the town hall,” said Bergeron.
The library broke ground in 1900 and was completed in 1901. During the groundbreaking ceremony, the time capsule was buried in the cornerstone.
“When digging up the time capsule, we thought it was encased in the top row’s stone,” Sprague said. “However, after drilling a hole into the stone and threading a camera in to get a glimpse, it was clear the capsule wasn’t there.”
It wasn’t until the trustee and librarians discovered photos from the 1900 ceremony that they realized it was buried in the second row’s cornerstone.
The time capsule will be on display at the library before being reburied with its original contents as well as new objects on July 25, coinciding with Dublin Days. Sprague said he hopes residents will unearth and reopen the capsule again in 125 years.
The library is hosting events throughout the year to celebrate the 125-year milestone.