Congratulations to Sgsmith1616 for FTF!
Welcome to the fifth Geocaching Library Book of our series! We got this idea from another library book cache that we found in a free library and had the idea of putting books in public libraries. In order to find this book you will visit the posted coordinates in order to solve a math problem. Once you have solved the problem you will be able to determine the call number of the book to our Library Book Cache. The call number that you will solve for will be located in the Adult Non-fiction section upstairs. You can solve this mystery when the library is not open but you will need to visit the library when it is open to sign the log. You may not claim this cache without signing the log please. When arriving at the posted coordinates, you will be searching for a two digit number on the fire alarm box (AB). The last three digits of the posted North coordinates (CDE) and the last three digits of the posted West coordinates (XYZ) are the other numbers you will need.
AB + CDE + XYZ - 587 = the call number
You can use the certitude link to check your solution.
Topsfield Public Library Hours : Monday 10am-7pm Tuesday 10am-7pm Wednesday 12pm-7pm Thursday 12pm-7pm Friday 10am-2pm Saturday 10am-2pm Sunday Closed
Good luck and happy hunting!
About this Library:
The Topsfield Town Library can trace its origins to the Topsfield Library Society, founded on March 20, 1794, under the leadership and advocacy of Reverend Asahel Huntington, then the pastor of the Congregational Church. The Topsfield Library Society was a subscription-based library formed by 80 residents who paid 20 shillings each, which went towards the acquisition of books.
In 1796, a bookcase was purchased to house the books in the collection (68 total, to start). The books were stored at the home of the current librarian, usually the pastor of the church or a physician. At the beginning, books were only circulated the last Monday of each month between 1-4pm; a maximum of one book was allowed checked out at one time.
This bookcase and the original volumes are currently on display in the periodical room of the Topsfield Town Library, as well as an original printed catalog of books from 1809.
Following the death of Rev. Huntington in 1813, interest in the Library Society began to wane. By 1854, the Topsfield Library Society library was placed in the Topsfield Academy. Other subscription libraries sprung up in the early 19th century in Topsfield, including an Agricultural Library, Anti-Slavery Library, and a Ladies’ Library within the Congregational Church.
By the mid-19th century, there was an increasing belief that the right to read and learn should not be reserved for a select few, but truly democratic and available to all, regardless of ability to pay. In the words of Rev. Anson McLoud, first librarian of the Topsfield Town Library, the public library “seems to be not merely the fitting but the natural and necessary crown and completion of our free school system…[the library] will become…a perennial source of gratification, improvement, and enlargement.”
Did you know? The first taxpayer-funded public library in the world is the Peterborough (New Hampshire) Public Library (1833), but the first major public library is generally understood to be the Boston Public Library (1848).
On December 21st, 1874, a committee of “concerned friends” established the taxpayer-funded Topsfield Town Library, merging the several subscription-based libraries in town (including the Topsfield Library Society’s collection from 1794) under one roof. The committee was made up of Samuel Todd, Sidney A. Merriam, Rev. Anson McLoud (future first librarian of the Topsfield Town Library), Justin Allen, Humphrey Balch, Rev. James H. Fitts. This was reported in the January 6, 1875 edition of the Salem Gazette.
A room was provided in the then newly-built Topsfield Town Hall to house the library. With the additions from the smaller libraries and proceeds from donations (money and books) of interested townspeople, at the end of its first year the Topsfield Town Library contained 1,256 volumes, with an overall circulation of 7,700 books and 243 borrowers. The new town library was open to ALL Topsfield residents aged 12 and older. It was considered an immediate success. The Library was originally located in the East Room, which now hosts the Select Board Meeting Room. In 1881, the library was moved to the southwest corner of the building (originally fit to be a high school) where it remained until 1935.
Rev. Anson McLoud was born in 1813 and served as pastor at the Congregational Church in Topsfield from 1841-1869. In 1872, he served a term in the Massachusetts State Legislature representing Topsfield. A passionate advocate for education for Topsfield, he served on the Topsfield School Committee and was on the founding committee of the Topsfield Town Library. He served as the first librarian at the Topsfield Town Library from its founding until his death in 1883. Upon his death, his personal library was donated to the Topsfield Town Library.
In June 2000, to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the founding of the town of Topsfield, visitors contributed to a time capsule that is scheduled to be opened in June 2100. The time capsule currently sits in the Sidney Merriam Reading Room (Mystery Room).
In the 21st century, the library continues to “grow and adapt,” as prescribed by our first librarian, Rev. McLoud. We stared down another pandemic, with the staff here working hard to continue to offer library services to our community. Today, more than 2,700 residents of the town have an active library card. In 2024, the library holds 120,000 volumes, with a circulation close to 130,000 (averaging almost 20 checkouts per capita, among the highest in the state) and hosted over 300 programs.
“History.” Topsfield Town Library, 16 Dec. 2024, topsfieldlibrary.org/about/history/.
All Libraries in the series: GCB304Z IPSWICH PUBLIC LIBRARY GCB3P5X RICE PUBLIC LIBRARY (KITTERY) GCB2HRF ROWLEY PUBLIC LIBRARY GCBDFYW TOPSFIELD TOWN LIBRARY GCB2B0Z GEORGETOWN PUBLIC LIBRARY GCBEWZK BOXFORD TOWN LIBRARY GCBFXP2 LANGLEY ADAMS LIBRARY (GROVELAND) GCBMWNP FLINT PUBLIC LIBRARY (MIDDLETON)
You can validate your puzzle solution with
certitude.