Our History

Tufts Library

Dr. Cotton Tufts: an original member and president of the Massachusetts Medical Society, a founder of the Academy of Arts and Sciences, a financial agent and adviser to John and Abigail Adams, a state senator and supporter of the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. In honor of his work and life, Dr. Cotton Tufts’s grandchildren, Susannah Tufts and her brother, Quincy, donated money and land to the Town of Weymouth in 1879 for the establishment of a public library. Tufts Library opened in the heart of Weymouth Landing on January 1, 1880, led by Caroline Augusta Blanchard as its first librarian. The library soon outgrew its storefront building and a new Tufts Library was built across the street, opening on October 6, 1892. That three-story brick building located on the corner of Commercial and Washington streets served the community until 1965 when a 33,000-square-foot Tufts Library designed by Alderman & MacNeish opened on the edge of Weston Park on Broad Street. After 55 years of service from that building, a new, 50,000-square-foot Tufts Library designed by Tappé Architects opened in the same location on October 1, 2020. It features ten study rooms, a digital media lab, five meeting rooms, a local history room, a Quiet Room, Teen Room, and a Story Time/Craft Room in the children's department.