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Sawyer Free Library, Gloucester, Mass.

 

In 1830 nearly 100 Gloucester residents met and formed the Gloucester Lyceum. The purpose of the organization was to bring community members together to participate in lectures and debates which fostered ideas and information. The Lyceum inevitably led to the formation of a library. Through the generous donations of Samuel Sawyer, a local businessman and philanthropist, the library collections and building were acquired. The Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library is the literary and cultural center of the city. The library has a collection of over 100,000 items, a wide variety of programs and cultural events, and a friendly, service-oriented staff. The library reaches near and far, both in the library and with our wireless internet access, online databases, and digital collections.

 

Explore Gloucester and Cape Ann by topic or browse the Sawyer Free Library's collections.

 

Gloucester Oral History Collection

“Toward an oral history of Cape Ann” was an oral history project which interviewed prominent and ordinary Cape Ann citizens between 1978 and 1989. Principal oral historians Linda Brayton and David Masters recorded 100 oral histories reflecting the cultural and economic past and present of Cape Ann.



Gloucester Postcard Collection

The Gloucester postcard collection shows various historical and recreational sites, as well as maritime scenes of Cape Ann during the early to mid-twentieth century.



List of Vessels Belonging to the District of Gloucester

The List of vessels was an annual publication which chronicled the fishing industry of the Cape Ann area from the years of 1869-1908.