Plymouth: People, Politics and Primary Sources

The anxiously awaited exhibit is now open to the public. Please stop by the State Library in room 341 of the Massachusetts State House to view the exhibition of materials from the State Library's collections highlighting the Town of Plymouth and the Wampanoag, the town's first inhabitants. Some items on display include maps from the 1700s to present, town reports and newspapers from the 1800s, a tax valuation from 1784, legislative papers from former Senator Edward Kirby, and library resources on the Wampanoag. When you visit be sure to pick up a copy of the exhibit bibliography, available in the exhibit area. The exhibit runs through January 23, 2009.

Pilgrim Portrait: Baker, George B. The Pilgrim Spirit. Boston: Marshall Jones Company, 1921.
Portrait of Eben Quippish: Peters, Russell M. The Wampanoags of Mashpee. Jamaica Plain, MA: R.M. Peters, 1987.

- Lacy Crews, Preservation Librarian

From the Edward Kirby Collection

Over the next week, the library blog will be featuring a series of items from the Edward Kirby Collection, which will soon be reseased to researchers.

The first item up is the "Massachusetts Parade of Agricultural Fairs":

• Page one


• Page two

This promotional brochure from 1966 was published by the Mass Department of Agriculture. It is in the "Events to Attend" file from Kirby's tenure as a State Representative from 1960-1966. I chose to share this item because of its graphic flair.

-Katie Chase, Special Collections Librarian

From the Special Collections Department

Edward Kirby, whose papers will soon be available for use by researchers, was a State Representative in the early 1960s. Although most of the Kirby Collection is from his years in the State Senate in the 1980s, there are materials that date from his time in the House.

This is a piece from the Republican State Committee, encouraging Republican citizens to support Republican candidates for the General Court. It includes a map of both houses of the Court, showing the distribution of Republican and Democratic members.

-Katie Chase, Special Collections Librarian

From the Special Collections Department

The Special Collections staff is completing processing on the papers of Edward Kirby, a Republican Representative and Senator who represented the Second Plymouth District in the House from 1960-1964 and in the Senate from 1980 to 1992. When the collection has been arranged and a finding aid (an index to an archival collection) has been produced, the collection will be available for researchers.

Shown here is an invitation to a Country Western Night from one of Kirby’s campaigns for State Senator.

-Katie Chase, Special Collections Librarian