Built to commemorate the valor of Civil War soldiers, the Edgell Memorial Library was the town of Framinghams’ first free-standing public library and remains a testament to the spirit of civic engagement and public service which built it. The Library is a cultural pillar of the community, which rallied to build it in 1872 and once again to save it from demolition in 1963.
The Edgell Memorial Library, one of the few remaining Victorian Gothic style buildings in the area, anchors the Centre Common in Framingham, a quintessential New England town common. A monument to Civil War Soldiers, built in 1872 by local people using local materials, it is a testament to the determination of the community. When demolition was threatened in 1963 by the building of a new library, concerned citizens and the Framingham Historical Society rallied to save our beloved Library.
The Edgell Memorial Library is currently used as a cultural community center by the Framingham History Center, for monthly programming, rotating exhibitions, a museum shop, storage, and office space.