• 1894 - The town considered a plan to enlarge and remodel the 1802 School House, but donation of a site by J Adams Bartlett made new construction possible. The town took ownership of the 0.78 acre parcel on July 20 (deed 254/457).
• Charles E A Bartlett paid for the grading of what was a vinyard and Amos F Adams funded the building construction. The architect was John A Fox of Boston, and the contractor was William C Edwards of Westford.

• 1895 - The library was dedicated on May 8, 1895, and people are gathering below for the open house and ceremonies. The front steps, lower courses, and buttresses are all of Chelmsford granite. The two polished granite columns at the entrance were from the coast of Maine.

• In the uncropped image below, photographer Arthur I Emerson parked his carriage on the east side of Boston Road (then South Street), and set up his glass plate view camera nearby. A large tent was set up next to the library for the dedication ceremony. Paul Dutton's windmill/water tank is above Arthur's carriage and J Adams Bartlett's house at 4 Bartlett Street is to its right.
• Citizens and invited guests assembled at noon and marched in procession into the tent with music provided by the Dunstable Band and the Corinthian Quartet of Boston. A Who's-Who of dignitaries in the legal, ministarial, and educational professions spoke during the afternoon, and dinner was served.
• Amos Adams presented the key to the Library to chairman of selectmen Joseph E Warren: "Mr. Chairman: Permit me to present, through you, to the town of Chelmsford, the keys of this public library building. I ask you to accept the gift of this building as a token of my respect and love for this my native town. I ask you to guard it well, and permit it to serve its purpose for all, at all times, under proper management, and without restriction of thought or subject in the field of knowledge ..."

• 1896 - The legal name of the library was still "Free Public Library," so a yes vote on Article 23 at the March 16 annual Town Meeting officially changed the name to "Adams Library."
• A large nicely crafted oak cabinet was donated to the library by the Village Improvement Association “for the preservation and display of public documents relics, and articles of historic interest.” This cabinet still exists and is in the care of the Chelmsford Historical Society at the Barrett-Byam Homestead.
• A slight problem arose in the library as “a number of young men were in the habit of assembling in the reading room, not for reading, but simply for the purpose of amusing themselves, to the annoyance of those who wished to avail themselves of the privileges of the library.” Posting extracts from the state laws governing public libraries throughout the library improved the situation.
• This early imterior view of the Adams Library reading room shows a limited collection of books available, a portrait of Amos F Adams over the fireplace, and a grate in the floor to allow heat to rise from a furnace in the basement. The window shades were pulled down by the photographer to prevent overexposure by bright sunlight. There were two gas light fixtures overhead and two on the reading table (electric lights were not installed until 1930).

• This was the view looking west across Boston Road (then called South Street) with the Adams Library and its dome about 1/3 from the right side. There were nothing but farm fields across the street, and houses on Boston Road and Bartlett street are to the left of the library.

• 1899 - Mr Amos Adams added to his gift of the building, “handsome granite curbing” and “needed concrete sidewalks” for the library grounds.

• 1905 - In this image the Adams Library is decked out in bunting and flags for the town's 250th celebration. Charles E Bartlett's home at 15 Bartlett Street is left of the library and Dr Scoboria's home and carriage house are to the right. The granite curbing and concrete sidewalks donated by Amos Adams in 1899 are clearly seen here.

• 1929 - the George Memorial Hall was built with a bequest of Orra A (George) Flint in memory of her parents. The two-story addition was disigned by Chelmsford architect Edwin R Clark and constructed by Edwards and Monahan of Lowell. It was 35 x 55 ft extending from the rear of the Adams Libray on its central axis to serve as a general meeting room, Historical Society museum and meeting room, children's library, adult fiction stacks, and the fine arts and reference department.

• 1930 - The second story of George Memorial was designated for a collection of archaeologically interesting furniture, books, old prints, maps, or records pertaining to Chelmsford's past life. With this space now available, the Chelmsford Historical Society was founded, with Charles E Bartlett as its first president.
• A new ruling from the state changed libraries’ handling of finances: “A ruling sent down from the State House in Boston reversed a former ruling, and instructs the town treasurer to pay all bills of the library to be paid out of appropriations by the town for the benefit of the library, but the treasurer of the trustees may administer all trust funds.” Formerly the annual appropriation made by the Town Meeting was turned over to the treasurer of the trustees, who made payments from it.
• Edwin Clark accepted the task of redecorating the old part of the library. A bequest of $10,000 was accepted from the estate of Otis Adams for upkeep of the Adams Library building and grounds and purchase of new books. The Fiske family donated the iron lamp posts at the rear entrance as seen below.

• 1933 - Dr Wilson Waters died in June. The trustees deemed his death “a great loss” and noted that he had served as one of their members for more than 30 years. They characterized him as “a man of rare scholarly attainments, a great lover of books,” adding that “his advice on matters pertaining to the library was invaluable.”

• 1958 - The iron railings on the front steps, seen in the image below, were designed and installed at the request of library trustees.

• 1962 - The Chelmsford Friends of the Library was organized to support the work of the library in various ways. Also this year the town became eligible for state aid to its libraries after meeting standards as to increased library hours and appropriations for salaries and books.

• 1965 - A basement renovation was completed; it became “an attractive well-lighted area with two rooms of stack space, a large work room where books are processed and mended, and an office for the librarian.” In addition the first floor was completely redecorated, the departments were rearranged, and some new lighting was added.

• 1967 - The Fine Arts and Music Room replaced the Historical Society’s museum on the second floor, offering records, music, fine arts books, and periodicals and a succession of art exhibits. The Historical Society stored its exhibits in several temporary locations, until receiving the gift of a permanent location at 40 Byam Road in 1969.

• 1968 - The problems of growth in both the town and the borrowing public seemed to call for action; and by vote of the Town Meeting, five members were appointed to a Library Building Needs Committee. They were Dr Howard K Moore, chairman; John L Berube, Thomas C Thorstensen, Marjorie B Scoboria and Roger P Welch.

• 1972 - David J Panciera was appointed as the first professional Library Director and assumed his duties in July following the June 30 retirement of librarian Edith Pickles. Some of his accomplishmants during his first year were: The loan period for most books was increased from 2 weeks to 4; Volunteer-run Mothers’ Mornings were introduced; Story and activity hours for preschoolers were introduced; Weekly visits were made to nursing homes to read, chat and distribute books; Talks and library tours for fourth and seventh grade students were held; and talks were given by the librarian to eighth graders at the junior high school.

• 1974 - An article for a special town meeting warrant proposing an addition to the southerly side of the Adams Library was discussed at a joint meeting of the Chelmsford Library Trustees and the Library Needs Committee held at the Adams Library on Wednesday evening, August 28. If approved at a special town meeting in October, construction of the addition would have begun the following spring with supervision and labor supplied by the administration and students of Nashoba Valley Technical high school. The estimated cost of the project, including both building and furnishings was slightly under $100,000.

"Appeals Board Grants Library Variance - Progress on the addition to the Adams Library was aided by the Board of Appeals at their regular meeting on Thursday, October 24th, when they unanimously voted to grant the variance sought by the Library Trustees. Attorney James Harrington, Secretary of the Board of Trustees, presented plans for the proposed addition to the Board, and said there would be a definite hardship if they were not allowed to build this addition. A variance is necessary because of insufficient side yard, parking, and front yard."

"Library Addition Work Halted By Union - The Selectmen were told Tuesday that all construction on the Adams Library addition has stopped pending resolution of labor problems which have arisen due to part of the building work being done by Nashoba Technical High School students. Meeting with the Board to discuss these problems was Richard McInnis, Business Representative of the Lowell Carpenters Union. He was accompanied by 13 Chelmsford residents all members of this Union. Also at Tuesdays meeting were members of the Library Building Committee and Library Trustees."

• 1975 - The Town of Chelmsford purchased the Scoboria Property from Northeast Masonry Construction Co, Inc on July 3 (deed 2155/551).

• 1976 - A new Business and Legal Reference section was created within the library, magazines and newspapers were moved to larger quarters, the art and music department expanded on the second floor, and the fiction collection was put into George Hall, left vacant by the move of the children’s room to the Children’s House.

• The image below shows the Children's House sign placed out front.

• 1980 - The Scoboria carriage house became the Adams Library Carriage House and opened on December 14 as a community meeting place. However, this was a stop-gap because more space was desired, and the buildings weren't handicapped accessible.

• 1987 - The Donald Prout Associates of Cranston, RI were chosen to design a new addition and parking lot on the north side of the Adams Library.

"Reaction came quickly. Building Committee Chairman David McLachlan called it 'unfortunate' that the Commission had waited so long to express its views; Sel Bradford Emerson, also a member of the Building Committee, stated his feelings that the Commission's letter did a disservice to the town; Vice Chairman of the Library Trustees Mark Gauthier, speaking as a member of both the Library Trustees and the Building Committee, said that he 'resented' the Commission's 'negative, ill-founded and ill-timed approach to protecting the town's concerns.'

"Commission members, meanwhile, stood by their unanimous decision to send the letter although no official explanation has been offered for its early release to an out of town newspaper or for the reason to delay the negative comments so 1ong. One member stressed preservation of the residential "charm" of the area which would be harmed if the expansion took place, while another felt that while the design of the front might be in keeping with the original building, the back was not."

• 1988 - In spite of much publicity and urging, this proposal was turned down by the voters. The rejected design was considered too large and would overwhelm the existing library, which would not be integrated either physically or functionally. The Library trustees then looked for other sites for an entirely new building. When it was learned that the Adams Library and land would revert to its original owners if it was ever abandoned as a library, plans were again made for a simpler addition on the north side of Adams Library.

• 1989 - Steven A Cain and J G Cullen purchased the Dutton House at 10-Bartlett Street from Thomas J and Mary E Tevlin on March 31 (deed 4847/202).

• 1993 - The Arthur Tait painting was sold through Christie’s auction house to a private individual for $120,000, helping to fund the future addition to the original Adams Library building.
• The Town of Chelmsford purchased 10-Bartlett Street from Steven A Cain and J G Cullen on July 7 (deed 6560/72).Two views of the Dutton House are shown below.

• 1995 - A $6.7 million library expansion plan was on the line at an October special election that would require a Proposition 2 1/2 debt exclusion as well as removal of both houses and the carriage house to make room for the addition. The George Memorial Hall would be left in place.

• 1996 - Voters approved a scaled down $4.5 million expansion and renovation of the Adams Library at October Town Meeting. Boston architectural firm, A Anthony Tapp and Associates, Inc, was selected. A parking lot was placed at the front of the addition, and the Dutton House could remain on library grounds. The library temporarily moved to the basement of the Town Office Building at 50 Billerica Road during construction by Taunton's Mello Construction Company.

• 1997 - The Town admitted that the Scoboria House was worth saving and put it up for auction.

• 1998 - Douglass Marlow and Linda De Young agreed to have the house and the original portion of the carriage house moved. The new location was purchased by RWJ Construction, Inc, from Ann B Mcguigan on November 6, 1997 (deed 8883/249) and then by Douglass and Linda on February 3 (deed 9036/87).
• The move was delayed by a month, due to major ice storms up north that caused New England Telephone and electric company workers to be dispatched to repair damaged lines, and three more times due to inclement weather. On the morning of March 5, the Dr Arthur G Scoboria House was finally moved by Admiral Building Movers from 2 Adams Avenue to Ann's Way, off High Street.
• The house was taken in two sections across Adams Avenue, over a traffic median strip, up Bartlett Street to High Street, and across Acton Road to its final destination on Ann's Way between 60 and 66 High Street. Photographs taken through the years were used to recreate the house's original look. Slate from the roof was saved and reattached following the move. The house was placed on its new foundation about 3 weeks later.

• In May the George Memorial Hall, built in 1929 at the rear of the Adams Library, was razed to make room for the new addition. The main obstacle to keeping this hall was its design with 5 steps down from the main library making it incompatable with standards required by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Virtual Tour of the Chelmsford Public Library
on Google Maps, Curtis Lloyd, July 2013

• 2010 - The Dutton House was used by the Friends of the Library for temporary storage of materials for the annual book sale. As attractive as it was on the outside, it was not an easy place to move around in as seen below, and did not comply with standards required by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

“'I think the hope all along was to relocate the house. After multiple efforts, it just didn’t become viable. The cost increases the further you move it,' Cohen said, adding that the expenses related to the stability of the 2,354-square-foot structure and utilities probably made any such effort prohibitive for a prospective new owner.

"Cohen said the town considered several bids before selectmen voted in January to approve the demolition. The question of the Dutton House's future dates back to 1993 and the library expansion project. In addition to the Dutton House, another structure stood nearby, which was moved, but the Dutton House stayed behind, Cohen said.

"The town spent money to maintain the house, including funds for roofing, siding and heating, but it could not be used as a place of assembly due to accessibility limitations, Cohen said. 'The [Library Board of Trustees] said they felt it was time. Their recommendation was to take it down,' Cohen said. Cohen said the site may find new life as parking, green space, walking and storage space for the library, with an eye toward the long-term goal of increasing walkability around the entire town center."

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1. Book, Arcadia Publishing, 2014, "Images of America, Chelmsford Revisited" by Fred Merriam
2. Book, Courier Printing, 2011, "History of Chelmsford 1910-1970" by Eleanor Parkhurst and Fred Merriam
3. Deeds, Middlesex North Registry deeds as listed
4. Images labeled "(colorized)" are black and white photos or negatives scanned, edited, and colorized by Fred Merriam
5. Images labeled "(FM)" were photographed by Fred Merriam
6. Newspaper, "Chelmsford Independent," as credited
7. Newspaper, "Chelmsford Newsweekly," as credited
8. Photo and glass negative collections, Chelmsford Historical Society
9. Website, Chelmsford Historical Commission, Libraries page, State Inventory 224 and Update
10. Website, Chelmsford PUblic Library, About-Us page
11. Website, Google Earth Pro