A recent set on the State Library's
Flickr web site highlights photographs and materials from the 54th and 55th Massachusetts Black Volunteer Regiments from the Civil War. The collections are from materials donated to the State Library by Alfred Stedman Hartwell, who served in both regiments.
Alfred Stedman Hartwell was born in Dedham, Massachusetts on June 11, 1836. Civil War records describe him as having been a law student; he graduated from Harvard University in 1858.
From May 8, 1861 to August 17, 1861, he served as a corporal in the 3rd Missouri Infantry. He was commissioned a 1st lieutenant on August 22, 1862 and was mustered into Company F, 44th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry on September 12, 1862; he resigned from that regiment and was discharged for promotion on March 31, 1863. Hartwell was next commissioned a captain in the 54th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry and was discharged on May 14, 1863 for promotion in the 55th Massachusetts Infantry. On November 3, 1863 he was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in that regiment. He was wounded at Honey Hill, South Carolina on November 30, 1864, brevetted as a brigadier-general on December 30, 1864 and mustered out on April 30, 1866.
Because of his experience with black regiments, he spearheaded an investigation into certain abuses in the recruiting of black soldiers in the south. From 1865 to 1866, Hartwell led the investigation into these alleged abuses. Brevet Brigadier-General M.S. Littlefield was the subject of many accusations that indicated that he enrolled disabled blacks, known deserters, and others into the 21st Regiment, U.S. Colored Troops and had failed to pay bounties due to the men. As a result of Hartwell's efforts, Littlefield was court-martialed.
Hartwell later served as the Representative from Natick in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1867 and as Attorney General and Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Hawaii. He died in Honolulu on August 30, 1912.
The collection resides in the Special Collections Department of the State Library of Massachusetts and is available for the public to view.
Pamela W. Schofield
Reference Department
Reduced hours for Special Collections will continue into July. If you need an appointment, please do not hesitate to contact the department at (617) 727-2595.
John William Ward, a scholar and former President of Amherst College, was appointed in 1979 to chair a Commission whose final report would come to be known by his name. This twelve-volume study, owned by the State Library, became one of the most important reports ever written in this state. Its official title is Commission Concerning State and County Buildings in Massachusetts; and it was created in response to a 1977 scandal related to the construction of the University of Massachusetts, Boston and to the construction industry in general.
On July 2, 2008 Governor Deval Patrick signed comprehensive landmark legislation to reduce energy consumption and spur clean energy technology. This law places Massachusetts nationally at the forefront of climate change reform. A leader in energy policy for years, the state participates in a regional effort to reduce greenhouse gases from power plants and has set a goal of increasing solar power in the Commonwealth by 600 percent in 4 years.
The State Library will be closed Thursday in observance of the holiday. Regular hours in the Main Reading Room will resume Friday. Special Collections will be open Monday through Wednesday from 9:00am until 1:00pm and by appointment through June 29.
The library is making great progress with our Mapping Massachusetts: the History of Transportation in the Commonwealth grant and have received the first batch of images from our digitization vendor. All images are available in DSpace, and you will already find links to the digital images for many items when viewing the record in our online catalog.
The second set now available on Flickr contains twenty-nine images from the approximately 105 photographs digitized that record the construction of the Hoosac Tunnel (1848-1875). These photographs show both the construction of the tunnel, as well as work buildings surrounding the tunnel and tools developed specifically for the tunnel project. Several images include people and are quite charming. For instance, the image above shows four women - parasols in hand - standing atop the west end masonry during construction. (Click the image to enlarge). Click here to see other images in this set.
The Massachusetts Acts and Resolves were scanned as one large file. In order to save time retrieving a particular act, we are breaking them up into individual files. While searching the Acts of 1954, these acts were found to be of interest:
Annual reports of the Massachusetts towns are submitted to the State Library by law. Chapter 40, section 50 of the Massachusetts General Laws require towns to submit their reports.
One of the monthly journals that the library receives is the SURVEY OF CURRENT BUSINESS. This is a publication of the Bureau of Economic Analysis within the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The Special Collections Department will have reduced hours for the month of June. Please see below for the schedule.