Milford Town Library News: Check out a photographic history of the Draper Corp.
Author and educator Linda Hixon recently published "Symbol of Progress: A Photographic History of the Draper Corporation," along with Hopedale historian Dan Malloy and Sean S. Sullivan as co-editors.
This handsomely produced book is personal for Hixon, who also leads the Hopedale Women’s History Project. Hixon’s grandfather and all six of his brothers worked for Draper. In an introductory essay Hixon asks: "What is a mill?" She explains that a mill takes raw material and makes something, whereas Draper made the machinery that helped textile mills run.
“Drapers was a plant, a shop, in a pinch a factory — Drapers was never a mill.”
It’s the photos that bring this storied history to life. Portraits of Ebenezer Draper and his wife, Anne (Thwing) Draper, George Draper and his wife, Hannah (Thwing) Draper, George Bancroft and his wife, Sylvia (Thwing) Bancroft, reveal the social fabric and ties of the community founded by Adin Ballou. Of course, Hopedale and Draper Corp. are inextricably wedded.
Photographs of the looms and the budding Draper campus and their award-winning employee housing fill various chapters. The back cover is based on a photograph by Frederick G. Oldfield III depicting the demolition of the remaining Draper plant.
Read newspapers for free
Hate paywalls when you’re reading online news? We do too! That’s why we’re offering free access to five U.S. dailies: Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.
Your Milford Town Library card number gives you access to these daily newspapers. Here’s how:
Visit: milfordtownlibrary.org. Select "Databases" from the "Services" menu. Scroll to the end of the list and select "US Major Dailies." Begin searching.
You’ll find access to articles, digital content and more — all free.
Mitten Tree
Our Mitten Tree collected more than 310 items from generous donors. These will all be contributed to a variety of local charities. Thank you to everyone who made this drive successful.
The gift of sight
The round table close to the entrance will display books for those who have vision issues. Featuring a selection of our large print books, the display includes large-print romance, mystery and Western titles. More large-print books can be found on the wall beginning near the fiction section and continuing around the back wall.
Center Book Group
The Center Book Group will meet at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 18, at the Senior Center to discuss Therese Ann Fowler’s novel, "A Good Neighborhood."
This book is a thorny drama set in an affluent North Carolina neighborhood. Two families, the firmly established Alston-Holts and the just-moved-in Whitmans, become neighbors and share a property line and then more as their teenaged children begin dating.
According to NPR, "A Good Neighborhood" is “story of race, class, region and, yes, tragic love ... the result is Shakespearean.”
To reserve a copy of "A Good Neighborhood," please call the information desk at 508-473-2145, Ext 2.
Watch the library website and social media for updates if switching to Zoom is warranted.
Cookbook Club
The Cookbook Club will hold its next meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 19, in the children’s program room.
To compensate for the cold weather, we have chosen Southern cooking to warm us up, at least vicariously. Our book will be "Magnolia Table" by Joanna Gaines. There are lots of special Southern recipes to whet your appetites.
Copies of the book have been ordered from other libraries and will be available for members at the circulation desk.
Members are asked to bring containers to take home leftovers, cutlery and reusable water bottles. Paper plates and napkins will be provided.
Please notify Mary Frances Best a few days before the meeting if you plan to attend, so we can provide enough seating, etc.
For those who are unable to attend in person, there will be a Zoom option. Email Mary Frances at mfbest@cwmars.org if you would like the link.
Contemporary Book Group
The Contemporary Book Group will next meet at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 26, in the ESL classroom to discuss V.E. Schwab’s novel, "The Invisible Life of Addie Larue."
This 2020 fantasy novel tells of Adeline Larue who makes a Faustian deal with the devil to live forever. However, a life of immortality is not all it's cracked up to be when no one remembers who you are; that is until someone does.
To reserve a copy of the book, or for more information about the group, email Shelley at ssgammt@cwmars.org.
New museum passes and more
The Milford Town Library now has 13 passes to museums and other venues. Several are new this season, and some museums are just now admitting visitors. To see the full list and reserve your date, go to www.milfordtownlibrary.org, and click "Museum Passes."
A new pass this season is for The Trustees, which has a collection of more than 120 special places close to home and throughout Massachusetts. The Trustees GoPass admits a family of two adults and children under 18 for free at many sites. Some are free to everyone. A guide, titled "Where Wonder Happens," to exploring all the places in color and arranged by region is available at the circulation desk. This may be checked out by patrons when they reserve a pass.
The Museum of Science has special exhibits. "All Aboard: Trains at Science Park" is free with Exhibit Hall entry pass. You can visit classic miniature landscapes with model trains, snow-covered peaks and engaging activities.
For a $6 add-on ticket, go on an extraordinary winter adventure with the "Polar Express 4-D Experience." Make a day of your visit and also experience the "Rocky Mountain Express" for an additional $6 add-on ticket. Journey back to the age of steam and the ingenuity that shaped a nation.
We recently received passes to the Patriots Hall of Fame at Patriots Place in Foxborough and Historic New England. Historic New England admits patrons to historic houses and gardens throughout New England. A magazine of the same title is on the periodical shelf and features stories and special sites.
ESL and citizenship classes
ESL classes are currently on hiatus.
Active Citizen: Citizenship Prep classes are held from 1-3 p.m. on Saturdays (this program is not a drop-in, as students must be nearing minimum residency requirements — five years, in nearly all cases). The instructor or ESL coordinator needs to approve you for the course. Instructor Atef Sorial was a guidance counselor in his native Egypt, went through the naturalization process, and now works with the Milford Public Schools and Milford Hospital on Project Search.
Copies of the December calendar will be at the reference desk, the Grab ‘n Go Table, near the ESL classroom and on our website.
Share your collection
Many people did a lot of sorting and organizing in their home spaces during the earliest days of the pandemic. Perhaps, you were one of those people who found a collection that you hadn’t seen in a while or even forgotten you had.
Please think about sharing your collection with the Milford Town Library. Both the adult and children’s departments have a display case that can securely showcase your treasures.
Pre-pandemic we usually had rotating monthly displays including dolls, badges, photographs, travel souvenirs, tea cups, snowmen, penguins, key fobs.
Please contact the information desk at 508-473-2145, Ext. 2, to schedule your month.
Food pantry donations
The Milford Town Library accepts donations to the Daily Bread Food Pantry every day. During the pandemic, it's especially welcome. Food donations may be placed in the blue bucket under the Friends of the Library Book Table.
A staff member takes the donations to the Food Pantry on Monday evenings.
Visit us: www.milfordtownlibrary.org for more information.
Mary Frances Best is reference librarian at the Milford Town Library.
This article originally appeared on The Milford Daily News: New book photographic history of Draper Corporation in Hopedale MA
