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| In 1899, the General Court of Massachusetts passed a law requiring that all cities and towns establish a town seal that should be managed by the respective Town Clerks. ( '''''An Act to Establish''''' )('''''For Every Seal''''' ) Prior to that time, Andover used a plain sticker-style seal as shown below. In 1900, Andover Town Clerk Abraham Marland authorised using artwork from a town 250th anniversary banner to create a historically meaningful town seal in accordance with state law. ('''''New Town Seal''''' ) An photograph of the banner is shown below. A Boston Globe article noting the Town's 1896 anniversary celebration, referred to the anniversary banner artwork as a "representation of the town seal, but there is no evidence that the imagery was legally a seal for the. Town until 1900. ('''''Andover's Days''''' )
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| According to Andover native and notable local historian Bessie Goldsmith,
| | In 1993, Memorial Hall Library undertook a front-entrance and foyer redesign project. The primary goal of the project was to return the building to a front landscape and walkway design closer to the original 1920's design. Local landscape architect Peter Hornbeck ([[Hornbeck, Peter]]) designed the entrance and Andover architect Jane Griswold supervised the installation which included native plants and flowers, an oval brick patio and granite curbing and park seating. Project funding included individual and corporate private donors, Memorial Hall Library Trustee funds and state funds. |
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| ::''The land comprising both the North and South Parishes of Andover was purchased from Cutshamache, the Sagamore of Massachusetts, for six English pounds and a coat. This event is commemorated in the town seal, which was officially adoped at the annual meeting on March 5, 1900. It is generally believed that the new seal was designed by Leonard Sherman, a local artist, photographer and nature writer. However, there were no Native Americans in New England tribes that ever wore such an elaborate headdress.'' ('''''The Townswomans Andover''''' )
| | The front entrance project was originally part of a major 1987 renovation and addition project. Due to a state-funding budget shortfall, the front-entrance redesign project was not underway until the summer of 1994. The Andover Historic Footprints Committee, led by Ann Constantine, Norma Gammon and Larry Lamagna raised more than $60,000 from private donations to ensure the completion of the work. |
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| | In addition to the exterior work on the property, the library's front foyer was enhanced with decorative painting featuring a border with the names of New England authors and ivy vines. A plaque comemorating the Historic Footprints donors was mounted in the foyer at the time. |
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| In 1895, John E. Whiting, a local jewler, designed a porcelin pin depicting the sale of the land that was to become Andover from the Indians as a souvenir for the Town's 250th anniversary. A photograph of one of the pins as well as the Andover Townsman ad advertising them can be seen below.
| | A small delay in the completion of the project was reported on in the September 1, 1994 edition of the Lawrence Eagle Tribune. The delay was due to the fact that the granite curbing company delivered pieces that did not fit as they were supposed to. The final dedication for the new park landscaping and stonework as well as a newly renovated foyer was held on January 8, 1995. The foyer was dedicated to Nancy Jacobson who served as Director of Memorial Hall Library from 1974 to 1993. |
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| | '''See''' |
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| For the Town's 350th anniversary in 1992, the Town requisitioned a painting of the seal for the selectman's meeting room. Kristoffel Meulen, then a high school senior, painted the 350th rendition of the seal. A photograph of the painting can be see below.
| | Andover Townsman, ''Library Park Foyer Dedication'' January 1, 1995 <br/> |
| | Andover Townsman, " ''Another Small Delay in Memorial Hall Library Construction''" September 1, 1994 <br/> |
| | Andover Townsman, "''Bricks for the Library''" June 17, 1993 <br/> |
| | Andover Townsman, "''Raising Funds for the Library'', " June 24, 1993 |
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| Over time, there has been disagreement about what local organizations can use the Andover town seal. Some groups, like soccer teams ('''''Town Seal Won't Be Seen On Team Patch''''' ) have been turned down while others such as the Andover League of Women Voters have been allowed to use the seal. A law was passed in 1881 to prevent unauthorized use of town and city seals and badges. ('''''An Act to Prevent Unauthorized Use'''''). In 1976, to commemorate the country's bicentennial, the Board of Selectmen authorized the use of the Town Seal for a commemorative silver medallion. A photograph of the coins appeared on the Town Warrant and Town Finance Committee Report mailed out to Andover citizens in advance of Town Meeting year. An image of the cover appears below.
| | [[Image:MHL94FrontRenovation.jpg|thumb|...''After Project Completion''.... click to enlarge|left]] |
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| In 2017, The Boston Globe published an article describing many Boston Metro-West towns as having Native American and colonial history depicted on their seals. The article describes much of the Commonwealth seal artwork as inaccurate. ('''''Unsealing the Past''''' )
| | [[Image:MHLPre1994Renovation.jpg|thumb|...''Library Entrance Prior to 1994 Entrance Work''.... click to enlarge|left]] |
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| [[Image:TownofAndoverPlainSealAnnualReport1898.PNG|thumb|...''Plain Town Seal from the 1898 Annual Report''.... click to enlarge|left]] | | [[Image:MHL94RedesignArticles.jpg|thumb|...''Front Entrance Redesign Articles''.... click to enlarge|left]] |
| [[Image:Andover250thAnniversaryBanner.jpeg|thumb|...''Andover 250th Anniversary Banner''.... click to enlarge|left]]
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| [[Image:seal.jpg|thumb|...''Andover's most familiar town seal''.... click to enlarge|left]]
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| [[Image:JEWhitingSouvenirPinATM 5 1896.PNG|thumb|...''Advertisement for JE Whiting's Souvenir Pin''|left]]
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| [[Image:JEWhitingSouvenirPinPrivateCollection.PNG|thumb|...''Souvenir Pin from a private collection''|left]]
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| [[Image:1976bicentennialcoin.jpg|thumb|...''1976 Bicentennial Coin Depicted on Town Warrant Cover''|left]][[Image:350thAnniversarySealKristoffelMeulen.png |thumb|...''Seal Painting Created for the Town's 350th Anniversary by Kristoffel Meulen''|left]]
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| | [[Image:MHLFrontEntrance.jpg|thumb|...''MHL Front Entrance''.... click to enlarge|left]] |
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| | [[Image:1993MHLFrontEntranceRedesignBrickFundraiser.jpg|thumb|...''Brick Fundraiser Flier''.... click to enlarge|left]] |
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| | --[[User:Stephanie|Stephanie]] ([[User talk:Stephanie|talk]]) 12:00, 4 March 2021 (EST) |
| * ''Andover's Days'' Boston Globe: May 18, 1896. [[Media:ANDOVER'S_DAYS..pdf]]
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| * [https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/bitstream/handle/2452/633673/ocm39986872-1899-HB-0577.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y An Act To Estable Seals in Cities and Towns]
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| * [https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/bitstream/handle/2452/730896/ocm39986872-1881-HB-0022.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y An Act to Prevent Unauthorized Use of City Seals and Badges]
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| *"New Town Seal," ''Andover Townsman'', March 9, 1900. [[Media:New_Town_Seal_ATM-1900-03.pdf]]
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| * [https://archive.org/details/annualreportofto1901ando/mode/2up Town of Andover Mass, Annual Report. 1901] ''Reflects vote to formally adopt new seal''
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| * [https://mvlc.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/andover/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ILS$002f0$002fSD_ILS:58437/one ''Andover a Century of Change:1896 - 1996''] by Eleanor Motley Richardson, (974.45 Ric), page 188.
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| * [https://mvlc.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/andover/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ILS$002f0$002fSD_ILS:361302/one Andover: Symbol of New England], by Claude Moore Fuess,(974.45 Fuess), page 373.
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| * [https://mvlc.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/andover/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ILS$002f0$002fSD_ILS:359804/one ''The Townswoman's Andover''] by Bessie Goldsmith (974.45 Gol), page 2.
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| * [https://mvlc.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/andover/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ILS$002f0$002fSD_ILS:334425/one ''Town and City Seals of Massachusetts''], by Allan Forbes (929.9 For volume 2), page 6.
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| * ''Andover's Town Seal (Editorial)'' Andover Townsman May 22, 1975 [[Media:AndoversTownSearlEditorial.pdf]]
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| * ''Medallion to be offered'' Andover Townsman July 31, 1975 [[Media: MedallionToBeOfferedATM-1975-07-31.pdf]]
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| * ''Town Seal Won't Be Seen On Team Patch'' Andover Townsman June 30, 1983 [[Media:TownSealWontBeSeenOnTeamPatch.pdf]]
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| * Uncovering Some Secrets About Local History Andover Townsman May 4, 1992 ''Andover resident Clifford Wrigley discusses the history of the seal.'' [[Media:Uncovering_Some_Secrets_ATM-1992-05-14.pdf ]]
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| * "Sealed with Historical Inaccuracies," ''Andover Townsman'', February 1, 2007.
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| * [https://www.andovertownsman.com/opinion/andovers-town-seal-tells-many-stories/article_827fd7bc-b69d-5ebf-bddb-636106bf54bd.html Andover's town seal tells many stories], ''Andover Townsman'', January 30, 2014, p. 7.
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| * ''Unsealing the Past'' Boston Globe June 26, 2017 [[Media:UnsealingThePastBostonGlobeJune252017.pdf ]]
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| * [http://mastatelibrary.blogspot.com/2018/07/for-every-seal-story-town-and-city-town.html ''Every Seal a Story: Town and City Town Seals in the Commonwealth'' ] Massachusetts State Library Blog: July 23, 2018
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| --[[User:Stephanie|Stephanie]] ([[User talk:Stephanie|talk]]) 13:43, 24 February 2021 (EST) | | <!-- insert signature here, if desired --> |
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| back to [[Main Page|Main Page]] | | back to [[Main Page|Main Page]] |
| [[Category:Andover Answers Index]] | | [[Category:Andover Answers Index]] |
In 1993, Memorial Hall Library undertook a front-entrance and foyer redesign project. The primary goal of the project was to return the building to a front landscape and walkway design closer to the original 1920's design. Local landscape architect Peter Hornbeck (Hornbeck, Peter) designed the entrance and Andover architect Jane Griswold supervised the installation which included native plants and flowers, an oval brick patio and granite curbing and park seating. Project funding included individual and corporate private donors, Memorial Hall Library Trustee funds and state funds.
The front entrance project was originally part of a major 1987 renovation and addition project. Due to a state-funding budget shortfall, the front-entrance redesign project was not underway until the summer of 1994. The Andover Historic Footprints Committee, led by Ann Constantine, Norma Gammon and Larry Lamagna raised more than $60,000 from private donations to ensure the completion of the work.
In addition to the exterior work on the property, the library's front foyer was enhanced with decorative painting featuring a border with the names of New England authors and ivy vines. A plaque comemorating the Historic Footprints donors was mounted in the foyer at the time.
A small delay in the completion of the project was reported on in the September 1, 1994 edition of the Lawrence Eagle Tribune. The delay was due to the fact that the granite curbing company delivered pieces that did not fit as they were supposed to. The final dedication for the new park landscaping and stonework as well as a newly renovated foyer was held on January 8, 1995. The foyer was dedicated to Nancy Jacobson who served as Director of Memorial Hall Library from 1974 to 1993.
See
Andover Townsman, Library Park Foyer Dedication January 1, 1995
Andover Townsman, " Another Small Delay in Memorial Hall Library Construction" September 1, 1994
Andover Townsman, "Bricks for the Library" June 17, 1993
Andover Townsman, "Raising Funds for the Library, " June 24, 1993
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After Project Completion.... click to enlarge
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Library Entrance Prior to 1994 Entrance Work.... click to enlarge
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Front Entrance Redesign Articles.... click to enlarge
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MHL Front Entrance.... click to enlarge
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Brick Fundraiser Flier.... click to enlarge
--Stephanie (talk) 12:00, 4 March 2021 (EST)
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