For almost 150 years, the Topsfield Town Library has sought to be the cultural and informational resource for the community. One of the library’s largest benefactors, George L. Gould, believed that the Topsfield Town Library “should not only be a repository of the printed word but also a cultural center promoting the aesthetic in the lives of Topsfield residents.” The Library has breathtaking collection of paintings, sculpture, and other art.
From its earliest days, the Topsfield Town Library has been dedicated to supporting the arts in many forms to enrich the cultural life of Topsfield. Plans for the 1935 library incorporated fine art as a permanent part of the building. The central square-shaped lobby with skylight became a viewing room surrounded by murals painted by the architect of the building, Mr. Harold Field Kellogg. The space was meant to represent a typical New England town common around which the rest of the settlement could be seen. The series of eleven murals depict the life of the town from the 1600s to the 1800s. In the first two murals, Topsfield’s roots are traced to its sister town of Toppesfield, England and the arrival by ship of the first settlers. The activities required to found the community occupy the next eight murals. In the last two murals, Topsfield is a well established town. Some of its sons are shown departing to join the battle of Lexington and Concord in 1776.
