Category: Program Announcements

Westborough State Hospital Book Program

The Westborough Public Library will celebrate the publication of Westborough State Hospital with a lecture by the author, Katherine Anderson, on Thursday, August 1, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. in the Meeting Room.

Join award-winning author and asylum historian Katherine Anderson for a discussion of her newest Images of America book on the history of the Westborough State Hospital. Katherine has been photographing and researching the hospital for nearly a decade and will present a collection of images, artifacts, and little known facts about Westborough State. As a bonus, meet Mimi Baird, author of He Wanted the Moon about her father’s story of his time as a patient at Westborough.

The Westborough State Hospital, formerly known as the Westborough Insane Hospital, was the second homeopathic hospital for the insane in the United States. Its unique treatment methods were at the forefront of mental health care until it closed its doors as one of the last Massachusetts state hospitals in 2010. Solomon Carter Fuller, a pioneering African American pathologist, studied physical changes in the brain due to Alzheimer’s at the hospital, which was also the only New England state hospital with a dedicated unit for deaf and hard of hearing patients.

Katherine Anderson is a veteran special education teacher and has been researching and writing about asylums and mental health care for more than a decade.

Extended Deadline for Photographer-in-Residence Applications

Ebenezer Lincoln getting into his buggy on Main Street, Westborough, photographed by F. E. North.

Westborough has a strong photographic history. Many photographers maintained studios in Westborough over the years, which is partly why the documentation of Westborough’s history is so rich and deep. In celebration and recognition of this history, the Westborough Public Library through the Westborough Center for History and Culture will annually designate someone to serve as a Photographer-in-Residence to capture the life and culture of Westborough over the course of one year. The overall goal is to continue adding to Westborough’s photographic legacy, showcase how various photographers approach capturing Westborough’s life and culture differently, and in the process document changes in the town over time.

The position of Photographer-in-Residence includes a $1,000 stipend, and the term runs from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020. Anyone interested in serving in this position should submit a statement of vision for the year-long project and a sample portfolio of no more than twenty (20) photographs by Friday, June 14, 2019. The statement of vision and sample portfolio can be dropped off at the Westborough Public Library’s circulation desk in print and/or in digital form on a thumb drive. This year’s winner will be announced by Friday, June 28, 2019.

  • Positions are open to all ages from high school and up.
  • Positions last for a one-year term, from July 1 to June 30.
  • The Photographer-in-Residence will receive a stipend of $1,000 for the year, half of which will be awarded at the beginning of the term and half at the end.
  • The Photographer-in-Residence is required to submit twenty-five photographs every three months for a total of 100 photographs taken throughout the year. Each photograph should capture Westborough’s life and culture in some way, and information about each photograph (title, date, description, identification of people and events in the photographs, etc.) must be included. Photographs can be submitted in digital and/or printed form.
  • Anyone interested in applying for the position must submit a statement of vision for the year-long project and a sample portfolio of no more than twenty (20) photographs in print or in digital form on a thumb drive. A committee will decide who will be awarded the position.
  • Terms can be renewed, but preference will be given to qualified photographers who have not yet served in the position.
  • Applicants do not need to be Westborough residents, but they need to be willing to engage enough with the Westborough community to produce results.
  • All photographs submitted as part of the year-long project become the property of the Westborough Public Library.

Contact Anthony Vaver, Local History Librarian, at avaver@town.westborough.ma.us with any questions.

Reminder: Introduction to the Game of Cricket, Sat. May 11 (Rain date: May 18)

Learn about the history, worldwide appeal, and rules of cricket from members of the Westborough Cricket Club on Saturday, May 11 at 10:00 a.m. (with a rain date of May 18) at Hennessy Field on 1 Upton Road.

The event will begin with an overview of cricket and the skills needed to play it. Members of the audience will then be asked to play in a game, while others are encouraged to stay and watch the action. Food trucks will also be on hand to provide refreshment. Anyone interested in playing in a cricket game can pre-register at http://westbororec.com/info/activities/program_details.aspx?ProgramID=30096.

This program is part of the Westborough History Connections series at the Westborough Center for History and Culture at the Westborough Public Library.

Information: Jennifer Kirkland, Westborough Recreation, jkirkland@town.westborough.ma.us, 1-508-366-3066; or Anthony Vaver, Westborough Public Library, avaver@town.westborough.ma.us, 1-508-366-3050 (ext. 5284).

Program Reminders for April and May, 2019

The Westborough Center for History and Culture has three upcoming programs:

Rev. Ebenezer Parkman (1703-1782) was the first minister of Westborough, and his extensive diary and church records, along with other family papers, correspondence, and records of the town, provide the most complete picture of life in an eighteenth-century rural New England town. 
Now, for the first time, access to many of Parkman’s writings, including his diary and church records, are freely available to scholars and the public through the Westborough Public Library on a new website, “The Ebenezer Parkman Project” (http://www.EbenezerParkman.org).

Learn about the significance of this unprecedented project from the creators of the website. The program will feature Prof. Ross W. Beales, Jr., who will talk about Parkman, his life, and his writings; Dr. James F. Cooper, Director of New England’s Hidden Histories, who will place Parkman’s writings in the context of other Congregational ministers in New England; and Dr. Anthony Vaver, Local History Librarian at the Westborough Public Library, who will describe the project’s development and demonstrate the website’s features. Note that this program takes place at the Mill Pond School auditorium.

  • Monday, April 29, 7:00 pm, Library Meeting Room – The Boston Tea Party: Connecting Westborough and India (with Tea!)

Tea expert Danielle Beaudette will discuss the discovery of tea, the East India Company, and the role of tea in the events leading up to the American Revolution. AND she will have three different kinds of tea to taste! (Part of Westborough History Connections series of programs.)

  • Saturday, May 11 (rain date: May 18), Time 10:00 a.m., Hennessy Field, 8 Upton Road, Westborough – An Introduction to the Game of Cricket

Learn about the history, worldwide appeal, and rules of cricket from members of the Westborough Cricket Club. You will even get the chance to play in a game! (Part of Westborough History Connections series of programs.) Note that this program takes place at Hennessy Field.

Spring 2019: Upcoming Westborough Center Programs

For your calendars:

  • Sunday, March 31, 2-4 pm, Library Meeting Room – Westborough Folklore: Then and Now (Part of the “Westborough Reads” initiative)
  • Thursday, April 25, 7-9 pm, Mill Pond School auditorium, 6 Olde Hickory Path, Westborough – The Ebenezer Parkman Project: A Launch Celebration
  • Monday, April 29, 7-9 pm, Library Meeting Room – The East India Company and the Boston Tea Party (with Tea!) (Part of Westborough History Connections series of programs)
  • Saturday, May 11, Time TBD, Hennessy Field, 8 Upton Road, Westborough – An Introduction to the Game of Cricket (Part of Westborough History Connections series of programs)
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