Our Mission
The Jacob Edwards Library enjoys a rich legacy of excellent service and is committed to the promotion of reading, education, literacy, culture, and lifelong learning for persons of all ages in our community.
-Long Range Plan, 2023
Our History
The first public library was established in the Town of Southbridge by public vote in 1870. In 1872, Holmes Ammidown, Esq. established and leased space on Main Street for the use of the town library. Through the generous bequest of Jacob Edwards, a new facility was erected on the current location of the Library in 1914. Having long outgrown its original building, a major addition was added to the library in 1966; this wing included the current Reading Room, Director’s Office, and the Holmes Ammidown History Room. A major expansion and renovation was completed in 2000, thus increasing the library facility to its current size of 24,456 sq. ft.
Funding a Library Renovation/Expansion Project in Southbridge MA: "The Little Town that Could."
Renovation and Expansion Plans for the Jacob Edwards Library: A Proposal from the Library Trustees
A Celebration of the New Addition to the Jacob Edwards Library
Jacob Edwards Library Grand Reopening
For a complete history of the Library see our book - The First Century: Jacob Edwards Library, Southbridge, 1914-2014.