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Simon Fairfield Public Library

Buildings and structures in Douglas, MassachusettsLibraries in Worcester County, MassachusettsLibrary buildings completed in 1903Public libraries in Massachusetts
Simon Fairfield Public Library Douglas MA
Simon Fairfield Public Library Douglas MA

Simon Fairfield Public Library is a public library in Douglas, Massachusetts. James M. Fairfield was one of seven sons born to Simon and Phoebe Churchill Fairfield in Douglas, Massachusetts. He spent his boyhood with his close friend George Jepherson on his family's farm in South Douglas. He left Douglas at an early age and went on to accumulate great wealth from real estate in the city of Lawrence. His friendship with George and his love of this town remained with him for most of his life. Sometime during 1902 after discussing his wealth and what to do with it he and his friends decided to build a town library in Douglas. After visiting the Uxbridge Free Public Library they decided to give the town a lasting memorial to his parents. This landmark in history became the Simon Fairfield Public Library. At a town meeting in 1903 the voters decided to accept this gift. The acceptance included a provision that the control and government of the library and the real estate be permanently vested in an eight-member board of trustees, three to be elected and five to be appointed. Fairfield appointed the first five to be Charles J. Batchellor, Winfield S. Schuster, Walter B. Fairfield, Aaron F. Jones, and James W. Wixtead. The dedication was held at the Second Congregational Church. Mr. Fairfield was not in attendance. However he continued to support the library financially until his death.

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Simon Fairfield Public Library
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N 42.0726 ° E -71.7136 °
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Main Street 290
01516
Massachusetts, United States
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Simon Fairfield Public Library Douglas MA
Simon Fairfield Public Library Douglas MA
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Old Douglas Center Historic District
Old Douglas Center Historic District

The Old Douglas Center Historic District encompasses the historic heart of Douglas, Massachusetts. The historic district radiates away from the town common, and is bounded by farmlands and more recent 20th-century development. There are 50 contributing resources in the 192-acre (78 ha) district. Most of the structures are residential houses in Federal and Greek Revival styles. There are a number of institutional buildings, including the 1834 Greek Revival First Congregational Church, the Craftsman-style Douglas Pastime Club building at 22 Church Street, and the c. 1770s Dudley Tavern. The town common and the adjacent Center Cemetery, laid out when the town was incorporated in 1746, are at the center of the district.Douglas was established in the 1730s on land set off from Sherborn, and incorporated in 1746. The town common quickly became the focus of civic activity, and roads were laid out from surrounding towns to that area. A meeting house (parts reused in building the house at 1 SE Main Street) was built in 1747, and the surviving tavern was built in the 1770s. The importance of the center as a nexus of economic activity declined in the 19th century, as industrial activity grew along the Mumford River in East Douglas, which also benefited from the arrival of the railroad. Construction was modest in the center in the second half of the 19th century, with only two new houses built.In the early 20th century, a few institutional buildings were added. In addition to the Douglas Pastime Club, and the 1921 two-room Douglas Center School, Colonial Revival houses were built at 8 and 16 Church Street, and a 1 Main Street. The church's steeple was damaged by the New England Hurricane of 1938 and rebuilt.The district listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.