On August 23, 1917, the Malden Evening News ran a small ad inviting all military and naval men of Malden to have their photograph taken, without expense, by local photographer Mr. Carroll of Pleasant Street. Through these photographs, we remember and honor the Malden men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice during World War 1. Photographs from the Malden Historical Society Collection.

https://youtu.be/MiBYO_0jN40

On August 23, 1917, the Malden Evening News ran a small ad inviting all military and naval men of Malden to have their photograph taken, without expense, by local photographer Mr. Carroll of Pleasant Street.  The photographs were said “to become part of the city’s records of the War.”  Soldiers were invited to “go at once to his studio. You will not want to be absent from this historic group.”  This small ad resulted in an unusual photo collection held by the Malden Historical Society, a photographic remembrance of 66 men who gave the ultimate sacrifice during World War I. This collection contains only one woman’s photograph and the simple note, “Miss L. Florence Eastman, Army Nurse, died October 14, 1918.”

Born in 1894, Florence was the only daughter of Russell and Ada Eastman. At age 17 she enrolled at Morton Hospital in Taunton to train as a nurse, and completed advanced courses at Massachusetts General Hospital.  Later, she became a nurse at Malden Hospital.

When the war came, Florence entered the Red Cross, and then in December 1917 enlisted as an Army nurse assigned to Camp Upton in New York.  Florence became the Head Army Nurse of the Isolation Hospital at Camp Mills on Long Island, with 20 nurses and over 100 orderlies under her supervision.  According to the history of American Legion, Florence Eastman Post 280 (based in Mattapoisett), “her devotion to duty, her sympathy for the sick soldiers and her own consistent, cheerful disposition won the respect and esteem of all with whom she was associated.”  In 1918, she received her international passport and would soon begin nursing soldiers on the battlefields of France.

But Florence never made it overseas.  With the advent of cold weather, epidemics were raging in the military camps with scarlet fever, diphtheria, meningitis, measles, bronchitis, and a new pneumonia spreading quickly.  The Camp Mills hospital tents, with about 900 beds, were soon filled to overflowing with sick and highly contagious cases.  The army sought to transfer patients to civilian hospitals, but even that was difficult.  The local railroads refused to transport the contagious soldiers. Instead, the soldiers had to be transported in ambulances obtained by the Red Cross and the Women’s Motor Corps of America on a frigid 35 mile journey to New York through deep snow in almost zero-degree weather.

After months spent nursing soldiers with the Spanish flu, Florence herself caught the disease, and died in active service on October 14, 1918.   She was laid to rest with full military honors, and is buried in Mattapoisett’s Pine Island Cemetery (her father was the keeper of the Neds Point Lighthouse).  Due to a small ad in the Malden Evening News, Florence will always be part of Malden’s record of the Great War.

Thank you Mayor Gary Christenson for joining us for a very special Mayor’s Virtual Story Time, recorded on May 14, 2020. If you missed it, check it out on the link below:

https://youtu.be/NMPrjrDvpko

I am Renata Convida.
I have lived a hundred stolen lives.
Now I live my own.

Set in a lushly drawn world inspired by Inquisition Spain, Zoraida Córdova’s hotly anticipated new fantasy is an epic tale of love and revenge perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir and Sarah J. Maas. Check out Incendiary, Hollow Crown book #1, – one of many new fantasy titles on RBdigital! https://maldenma.rbdigital.com/

Don’t have a library card yet? Click HERE, fill out the form and please include Name, Address, Email Address, Phone Number, and cell phone provider and we will email you back your library card information.

Are you staying put thanks to the COVID-19 emergency? Take the opportunity to check out these global cookbooks and travel the world one dish at a time. OverDrive is a free service offered by the Malden Public Library that lets you borrow digital content (like ebooks and audiobooks) anytime, anywhere.

Don’t have a library card yet? Click HERE, fill out the form and please include Name, Address, Email Address, Phone Number, and cell phone provider and we will email you back your library card information. We will be here to serve you as best we can.  For information and assistance, contact us at https://maldenpubliclibrary.org/contact-us/ or by phone at (781) 333-0640.

https://bpl.overdrive.com/collection/1069567

Got weekend plans to work around the house?  HGTV Magazine is about real life at home.  In every issue you’ll find money-saving mini makeovers, simple ways to conquer clutter, smart DIY solutions, time-saving cleaning tricks, and so much more. Plus—see how the HGTV experts really live! Check out free issues of HGTV and other popular magazines on the Malden Public LIbrary’s free RBdigital app: https://maldenma.rbdigital.com/

National Library Week (April 19- 25, 2020) is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries and library workers and to promote library use and support. The theme for National Library Week 2020, “Find Your Place at the Library’ was chosen some time ago, before any of us could imagine the emergence of a global pandemic that would force our library to temporarily close..  But you can still “Find Your Library at Your Place” because libraries are open for business online, providing the virtual services and digital content communities need now more than ever. You can access ebooks, movies, music, video games, virtual storytimes and activities, and so much more — all from the the comfort of your home.

Don’t have a library card yet? Click HERE, fill out the form and please include Name, Address, Email Address, Phone Number, and cell phone provider and we will email you back your library card information.  We will be here to serve you as best we can.  For information and assistance, contact us at https://maldenpubliclibrary.org/contact-us/ or by phone at (781) 333-0640.

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and observed in libraries across the country each April.

National Library Week 2020 has arrived at a difficult time for libraries across the U.S., many of which have been forced to close their doors in the face of the global pandemic. While we are feeling the loss of these spaces, we dedicate this week to celebrating libraries and the many ways they have inspired us.

Love Letters to Libraries for National Library Week

Join Us for a Virtual Read- Aloud on Tuesday, July 21 at 2:00 p.m.  This week, Library Director Dora St Martin will continue to read from a book that inspired her own life of travel – My Side of the Mountain – by Jean Craighead George.  Every kid thinks about running away at one point or another; few get farther than the end of the block. Young Sam Gribley gets to the end of the block and keeps going–all the way to the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. There he sets up house in a huge hollowed-out tree, with a falcon and a weasel for companions and his wits as his tool for survival.  Jean Craighead George is the author of more than 80 children’s books, including the Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves.  Recommended ages 9 to 12 – and all adults with a bit of wanderlust.  You can join our Story Room by clicking on the program title “Virtual Read Aloud” on the MPL website’s front page (under upcoming events): https://maldenpubliclibrary.org/  The instructions and password to enter the zoom story room will appear 10 minutes before the program begins.  If you have issues connecting, please call the Library Information number at 781-324-0218.  The program is free and no Zoom account or any special software is needed.