The Lee Library Historical Collection
LEE CELEBRATES THE 300TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY
The Massachusetts Bay Colony Tercentenary was celebrated in 1930. The state and towns celebrated this event with parades, historical exercises and old home weeks. Money was provided from the state and from the town budgets. Tercentenary Markers were erected to designate significant events from the early history of Massachusetts and Tercentenary coins were minted. The coins were bronze and manufactured by the Cammall Badge Company in Boston. The sailing ship on the coin is the “Arbella” which was named after Lady Arbella Johnson, the daughter of the Earl of Lincoln.
The “Arbella” brought the Charter of the Massachusetts Bay Colony Company to the colony in 1630. The portrait on the same side is that of Governor John Winthrop, a Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony during its early years.
The Tercentenary was a major celebration in Lee. Lee celebrated with Old Home Week, and many special events during the first week of August, 1930. The Lee Library Historical collection contains memorabilia, photos and The Berkshire Gleaner newspaper articles relating to this event. The Tercentenary Marker is located on the front of the Lee Library building. A Tercentenary Coin found buried in a back yard in Lee, and the Record Book of the people returning for this event are part of our collection.
You can learn more about this celebration, from the digitized the Valley Gleaner (1857-1902) and Berkshire Gleaner (1902-1944) issues from February 14, 1930; August 8, 1930 and August 15, 1930. The link can be found below. To view the photos in greater detail (the actual photos are very small) please go to the Digital Commonwealth repository, digitalcommonwealth.org.
Have fun exploring this event from Lee’s history!
FROM THE LEE LIBRARY HISTORICAL COLLECTION
First prize for Prettiest Float. Massachusetts Tercentennial parade
Photo Collection.
The visual record of the town and its evolution is found in our photo collection. Photos document all aspects of life education, religion, disasters, individuals, sports, leisure activities, buildings, and businesses (especially the paper making and marble industries). the collection is now online in the Digital Commonwealth repository, you may view it here.
FROM THE LEE LIBRARY HISTORICAL COLLECTION
Dedication of memorial table of the First Town Meeting site at the Lee Library.
Left to right, Wellington Smith, Frances Sargood, Miss Mary Louise Bradley, Miss Virginia Stratton and Bill Sargood.
Valley Gleaner Digitized!
The Lee Library Association is very excited to announce that we have digitized the Valley Gleaner (1857-1902) and Berkshire Gleaner (1902-1944). Now patrons of Lee and all over the world will have access to these very important papers from Lee. You will be able to use the database in the library or at your home. We would like to thank the town of Lee and all of our patrons for their continued support. We hope you enjoy searching!
FROM THE LEE LIBRARY HISTORICAL COLLECTION
The scrapbooks from our library Historical Collection have been digitized and are now available at the Internet Archive: