Blog: Author: Dora St. Martin

Brother Artists: Olmsted and Richardson in Malden

Posted on by Dora St. Martin
This Saturday, November 4th at 1:00 pm join us for a lecture about the famous collaborators responsible for our beautiful building. Tanja Giles, Park Ranger at the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, will discuss the collaborations of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and architect Henry Hobson Richardson, who a mutual friend referred to as ‘brother-artists.” The Converse Memorial Building / Malden Public Library was constructed between 1883 and 1885 and was the last Richardson-Olmsted library project. This past year the Library was able to restore the historic gardens designed Olmsted.  This is a fabulous program for those who love gardens, historic architecture, or for anyone who wants to know more about the library building and how it came to be.

Outdoor Family Movie Night in the Park at River’s Edge

Posted on by Dora St. Martin

Join us for a “Movie Night in the Park at Rivers Edge” on Thursday, October 5. The movie will be on The Park at Rivers Edge Great Lawn adjacent to 200 River’s Edge Drive in Medford. The Great Lawn section of the park will be transformed into an outdoor movie theatre where residents and visitors of all ages are welcome to gather and enjoy a free movie night featuring Elemental (Rated PG).

Disney and Pixar’s Elemental is set in Element City where Fire, Water, Earth and Air residents live together. The story introduces Ember, a tough, quick-witted and fiery young woman whose friendship with a fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow guy named Wade challenges her beliefs about the world they live in. The movie will begin just after sunset at 7:00 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public. Sponsored by Preotle, Lane & Associates and the Malden Public Library. Attendees should bring their own blankets and chairs for use. There will be free snacks and water provided. Wellington Station is just 0.4 miles from Rivers Edge. Free parking is available at the Rivers Edge Garage.

Local History Talk on Grave Stone Restoration and Preservation

Posted on by Dora St. Martin

On Monday October 2nd at 6:30 pm the Malden Public Library will welcome Epoch Preservation, Inc to give a presentation on the important work they do repairing gravestones in some of Massachusetts’s oldest historic burial grounds. This program is a great way to learn about historic cemeteries, restoration and preservation efforts, and a neat way to kick off spooky season with some interesting historical knowledge. All are welcome!

Citizen Science Last Group Tour – Thursday August 31

Posted on by Dora St. Martin

Let’s do some science! And also enter to win some really cool prizes. Thursday August 31st at 3pm meet Cait at the library to explore our local ecology and contribute to citizen science. Participants will automatically be entered into the prize drawing for one of three STEM based prizes: a telescope, a group gift certificate to Boda Borg, or a kids Kindle tablet.  These prizes were generously donated by the Friends of the Malden Public Library and Boda Borg.

Annual Malden Fairy House Festival & Story Time at Pine Banks Park

Posted on by Dora St. Martin

The Annual Malden Fairy House Festival will be held at Pine Banks Park on Saturday, August 26th from 12 Noon to 4 PM with a rain date of Sunday August 27th. Fairy Houses are structures for fairies and nature’s other friends (hobbits, elves, gnomes and trolls) to visit. The whimsical event is being organized by Ward 5 Councillor Barbara Murphy in conjunction with the Adelaide Breed Bayrd Foundation and Pine Banks Park.  All are invited to either pre-build a house or make one in the Builder’s Workshop on the day of the event to be entered into the Fairy House Walk contest. Malden Public Library Director Dora St. Martin will offer a story time at 2 p.m.

New Saturday Summer Hours at the Library

Posted on by Dora St. Martin

Come visit the Malden Public Library on Saturdays this summer.  We are excited to announce that from June 24 through September 9, the Library will be open Monday – Thursday 9 to 9, Fridays 9 to 6, and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. We invite all residents to take part in the Summer Reading Challenge and join us for our many exciting summer events. Event calendars are available at the Library or on the Library’s website at ww.maldenpubliclibrary.org.

Johnny Cash: Songs & Stories with musician Matt York

Posted on by Dora St. Martin

The Malden Public Library’s “Live on the Lawn” Summer Concert Series returns on Wednesday, June 7, at 7:00 pm featuring country musician and author Matt York. Bring your lawn chair or blankets and experience a great night of free outdoor live music.

Long time New England musician/author Matt York will perform the songs of Johnny Cash and tell stories about Cash’s career, spanning from his early beginnings in the 1950s to his passing in 2003.  York was recently nominated for the Boston Music Award for Best Country Artist and his album Gently Used was named one of Patriot Ledger’s best albums of 2022.  This program is supported in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Local Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

In case of rain, concerts will be held inside. For more information, contact the Malden Public Library, 36 Salem Street, at 781-324-0218 or at www.maldenpubliclibrary.org.

In This Together: Historic Friendships That Made Malden

Posted on by Dora St. Martin

Join us on Thursday, May 25 at 7:00 p.m. for a talk by local historian and author Dee Morris titled: “In This Together: Friendships That Made Malden”. It will be an exploration and celebration of the importance of friendship in building the Malden community.

Many Malden residents from the past became good friends, while supporting a cause, working together towards a common goal or transacting business,. Their life stories reveal their mutual respect and affection and is important to the development our city. Philanthropist Elisha S. Converse, artist Ernest Ipsen, abolitionist Harriet Robinson and socially prominent Alice May Davenport and others heavily relied on their trusted connections. Even in our own time, friendship still builds community. Dee Morris is a scholar and educational consultant specializing in the nineteenth-century history of Greater Boston. She is the author of A Brief History of Somerville, Medford: A Brief History and Boston in the Golden Age of Spiritualism: Séances, Mediums & Immortality. Her goal is help us all connect to our civic ancestors. Sponsored by the Friends of the Malden Public Library and the Robinson Lecture Fund.

Arts & Crafts in the Art Gallery

Posted on by Dora St. Martin
Need that Last Minute Gift for that special someone or yourself?  Or Just Want to Celebrate the Winter Solstice.
Join us on Wednesday, December 21 for a free art workshop in the Converse Art Galleries. Enjoy the Library’s amazing art collection and make your own hand-crafted ceramic tree ornament or coaster.
There will be two workshops at 2-4 PM & 6-8 PM
No registration needed, just drop by and enjoy some relaxation this holiday season.

Abolition and Agitation – Lecture Explores the Complex Life of Malden’s James Redpath

Posted on by Dora St. Martin

Join us on Tuesday, November 15 at 7:00 p.m. for a lecture by scholar and historian Dee Morris entitled, “James Redpath: Malden’s Spirited Abolitionist and Agitator.”  The lecture will explore the life of this complex reformer. Dedicated to his unique brand of fairness, Redpath, a radical freethinker, challenged the community to rethink their views about equality in all its forms.  He inspired heated controversy, yet forged lasting friendships in the community – a true Malden original.

James Redpath (1833–1891) was an important figure in many of the key developments in nineteenth-century American political and cultural life. He advocated for abolition, civil rights, Irish nationalism, women’s suffrage, and labor unions. In 1868, Redpath founded The Boston Lyceum Bureau (later the Redpath Lyceum Bureau) which promoted lecturers and authors of celebrity including Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Mark Twain.

Dee Morris is a scholar and educational consultant specializing in the nineteenth-century history of Greater Boston. She is the author of Boston in the Golden Age of Spiritualism: Séances, Mediums & Immortality. Her goal is help us all connect to our civic ancestors.

For more information, check out the Malden Public Library website at www.maldenpubliclibrary.org.