Library Corner

WELCOME to the History of Massachusetts Library Corner where you’ll find free digitized copies of many rare and out-of-print books, articles and documents about Massachusetts history.

The collection includes firsthand accounts of historic Massachusetts events as well as many books written by and about famous Massachusetts residents.

In order to view these digital books properly, you must enable javascript on your browser.

The collection is listed alphabetically, by subject, for your convenience:

American Revolution:

The Trial of the British Soldiers [T. Preston and Others]; Captain Thomas Preston; 1824

The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution; William Cooper Nell, Harriet Beecher Stowe; 1855

Women of the American Revolution; Elizabeth Fries Ellet; 1856

Diary of the American Revolution: From Newspapers and Original Documents; Frank Moore; 1860

History of the Boston Massacre, March 5, 1770; Frederic Kidder, John Adams; 1870

General Sir William Howe’s Orderly Book: At Charlestown, Boston and Halifax; Viscount William Howe; 1890

American Revolution: Volume I; John Fiske; 1891

American Revolution: Volume II; John Fiske; 1891

Boston:

William Blackstone, Boston’s First Inhabitant; Thomas Coffin Armory; 1877

The Freedom Speech of Wendell Phillips: Faneuil Hall; Wendell Phillips; 1890

The History of the Great Fire in Boston, November 9 and 10, 1872; Russell Herman Conwell; 1873

American Civil War:

Massachusetts in the War, 1861-1865; James Lorenzo Bowen; 1888

Dogtown:

Dogtown Common; Percy MacKaye; 1921

In the Heart of Cape Ann, Or the Story of Dogtown; Charles Edward Mann; 1896

New York Times; The Haunt of Witches and Smugglers; Charles J. Rosebault; October 23 1921

The Outlook; The Spectator; Volume 99; September through December 1911

Lincoln, Abraham:

Notes on the Lincoln Families of Massachusetts; Solomon Lincoln; 1865

New England:

A Description of New England; Captain John Smith; 1616

A General History of New England; Rev. William Hubbard; 1815

The History of New England; John Winthrop; 1853

Plymouth Plantation and the Mayflower:

Mourt’s Relations, Or, the Journal of the Plantation at Plymouth; Edward Winslow; William Bradford; 1865

Of Plymouth Plantation; William Bradford; 1856

The Mayflower, or, Sketches of Scenes and Characters Among the Descendants of the Pilgrims; Harriet Beecher Stowe; 1846

Salem, Salem Witch Trials & etc:

Records of Salem Witchcraft: Copied from the Original Documents, Volume I; 1864

Salem Witchcraft: With an Account of Salem Village and A History of Opinions on Witchcraft and Kindred Subjects; Volume II; Charles W. Upham; 1867

Historical Sketch of Salem, 1626-1879; Charles Stuart Osgood; 1879

Narratives of the Witchcraft Cases, 1648-1706; George Lincoln Burr; 1914

The Wonders of the Invisible World: Being An Account of the Trials of Several Witches Lately Executed in New England; Cotton Mather; 1862

The Witchcraft Delusion in New England: Its Rise, Progress, and Termination, As Exhibited by Dr. Cotton Mather, In The Wonders of the Invisible World; and by Mr. Robert Calef in his More Wonders of the Invisible World; Samuel G. Drake; 1865

Salisbury:

♦ New York Times; A Unique Affair: The Annual Gathering at Salisbury Beach – A Letter from Gen. Robert E. Lee; September 19, 1869
History of Amesbury: Including the First Seven Years of Salisbury; Joseph Merrill ; 1880
The Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury, Massachusetts; Volume I; David Webster Hoyt; 1897

Slavery:

Boston Slave Riot and the Trial of Anthony Burns; 1854

Slavery in Massachusetts; Henry David Thoreau; 1854

Slavery in Massachusetts: Two Letters from the Historical Magazine; George Thomas Davis; George Henry Moore; 1866

Notes on the History of Slavery in Massachusetts; George Henry Moore; 1866

Thoreau, Henry David:

Cape Cod; Henry David Thoreau; 1893

Walden, Or, Life in the Woods; Henry David Thoreau; 1899

History of Massachusetts

Thank you for checking out the library corner!

3 thoughts on “Library Corner

  1. Ed Serwan

    I’m looking for origional or old source material on William Dawes. I’d like to see some first or second hand accounts of his life, association with the Sons of Liberty, his ride, role in the revolution , and last days.
    Can you help or at least point me in the right direction?
    Thanks.

    Reply
    1. Rebecca Beatrice Brooks Post author

      Hi Ed, all of the source material I have on William Dawes is listed at the bottom of the article I wrote about Dawes. If you can’t find what you’re looking for there you can try the Boston 1775 blog. It has a ton of articles on Dawes.

      Reply

Leave a Reply to Paul L.Beckley Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *