The Congregational Library and Archives are administered here. What is that you say? It is a library of religious and New England history that includes a ledger detailing Benjamin Franklin’s baptism. The library is a not for profit organization that originated in 1853 “”for the purpose of establishing and perpetuating a library of religious history and literature of New England, and for the erection of a suitable building for the accommodation of the same, and for the use of charitable societies.” It began with an initial donation of 56 books and has since expanded to some 225,000 volumes.
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| Beacon Street |
This building in which the library is situated dates back to 1898 and contains four bas-relief sculptures on its front façade by Spanish artist Domingo Mora that depict significant events in Boston history. If you inspect the four bas-reliefs from left to right, the events are:
- John Eliot (“The Indian Apostle”), a Puritan missionary, preaching to the Indians
- The founding of Harvard College
- A celebration of the 1st Sabbath on Clark’s Island. This is where the Pilgrims actually landed before Plymouth Rock.
- The signing of the Mayflower Compact. This was the first governing document of the Plymouth Colony.
The building is more popularly known as the former offices of Ally McBeal, the FOX television series which ran from 1997 to 2002. The 7th floor offices of Cage & Fish have maintained a legal presence in that they now house the National Lesbian & Gay Law Association.
INFO
- Website: http://www.congregationallibrary.org/home
- Address: 14 Beacon Street, Boston, MA
- Cost: Free
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