I always enjoy visiting a library I haven’t seen before. The one I visited on August 13 says it’s the oldest public library in the USA, and it doesn’t seem to have any serious challengers. Its story has interesting parallels to the founding of Harvard College’s library. The town in one case and the college in the other got named after the person who gave their libraries a start.

In 1778, a newly incorporated town in Massachusetts called itself Exeter. Benjamin Franklin was popular among the residents, and the town renamed itself Franklin. They asked Franklin if he would donate a bell in acknowledgement. He decided a collection of books would be a better gift, and they became the core collection of a free lending library. Today’s library has those books (or as many as have survived) on display in a glass case. It’s quite a big library for a town of about 30,000 people.

There are reminders everywhere of the library’s origins. The Reading Room is elegant, with soft chairs and murals. A statue of Franklin holding a book is out front.

Franklin Public Library

The Reading Room

Books donated by Benjamin Franklin