Resident Medford historian Dee Morris (pictured above) gave a walking tour titled “The Birth of the Library Neighborhood”. Fresh off of celebrating the Medford Public Library’s 150th Anniversary, this walking tour was the perfect supplement to this celebration. The talk began on the patio outside of the library and then the tour started along High street and stopped at 185 High street, which was a former rectory. The tour then crossed the street and headed back to the library, with stops along the way at important notable sites and homes.

The stories in just this small block of homes and churches included a love story, salacious relationships, the start of an all-girls school, generous support from the Brooks brothers (yes the very ones who are tied to the Brooks Estate in West Medford. The tour includes prominent names such as Magoun, Adams and Brooks. What was the most important take away from this tour was about resilience. There were a lot of failures a lot of over coming of obstacles and of course community. From the most prominent, wealthy residents to the poor and less fortunate, status was pushed aside to make Medford a better place. Some of those very elements still exist today.

Dee will be hosting at least two more tours again. One will be in August and the other scheduled for September. Please visit the Medford Public Library for more information. We hope to see you at the next one!

Library Neighborhood Historical Walking Tour