(978) 774-8132 flint3@comcast.net

Local History Resources

The Flint Public Library of Middleton, MA, offers a variety of resources on the town’s history. While some of these resources are available only for use within the library, others are available to be borrowed, and still others are digital resources that are always available from devices with an Internet connection.

Local History in the Library


The library houses its local history collection in the balcony, where these items may be browsed. This collection includes:

  • Masconomet Regional High School Yearbooks, 1960-present
  • issues of The Tri-Town Transcript, 1989-present
  • issues of The Village Reporter, 1998-2009
  • issues of The Town Crossing, 2007
  • books by Middleton authors
  • a selection of historic maps of Middleton
  • a variety of historic books from and about Middleton, Essex County, and Massachusetts

Vital Records for Middleton may be viewed upon request.

A group of dedicated volunteers is working on compiling binders of photographs, articles, and other sources that relate to various aspects of the history of Middleton. These binders are available to look at in the library, upon request. The topics include:

  • Business
  • Cemeteries
  • Churches
  • D.P.W., Fire, M.E.L.D., and Police
  • Chief Masconomet, Will, Witches, and Folklore
  • Flint Public Library: Buildings and Events
  • Flint Public Library: People and Programs
  • Houses
  • Military
  • Personal Collection of Laura Woodside Watkins
  • B.F. Emerson
  • Charles L. Flint
  • People 1: A-H, People 2: I-R, and People 3: S-Z
  • Schools (2 Volumes)
  • School District
  • Social Life
  • Transportation
  • Genealogies: Bray Wilkins and John Willard
  • Military History and Balcony Collection
  • Middleton Square
  • Stream Team
  • Tri-Town Transcripts
  • Bicentennial Photo Collection–1976
  • State Register of Historic Places (2003)
  • Housing Inventory–1977
  • Middleton Postcards
  • Calendars 2003-2018
  • Celebrations and Parades
  • Government–Essex County, Commonwealth of MA, and Federal

Local History to Borrow


While most of our local history resources are in-library use only or online, the library’s collection does include some items pertaining to local history that may be borrowed. In general, books about the history of Massachusetts, including specific regions, counties, and cities, can be found in the non-fiction section at 974.4.

We also have DVDs of certain local events that may be borrowed. These include:

  • Middleton Bicentennial Parade, 1928
  • N&J Donuts: Photographs and Memories
  • Middleton Square & South Main Street, March 30, 1985
  • 250th Centennial Parade September 24, 1978

Local History Online

In addition to being available to browse yearbooks in the library, you can find Masconomet Regional High School Yearbooks from 1960 to 2015 at the Internet Archive by clicking here. For ease of searching, we suggest sorting that webpage by date published.

At the same webpage, you will also find Middleton Annual Reports from 1862 to 2009.

Click here to view a digital copy of Middleton, Massachusetts: a cultural history by Lura Watkins.

Click here to view a digital copy of “Biography of Charles L. Flint and Brief History of the Flint Public Library,” a 12-page pamphlet compiled by the Board of Trustees of the Flint Public Library circa 1952.

Click here to view a digital copy of Images of America: Middleton by Shirley Paul Raynard with the Middleton Historic Society.

Click here to view a digital copy of Middleton in the Twentieth Century, presented by the Middleton Historical Society in 1998.

Click here to view a brief pamphlet outlining Middleton’s history and historic buildings. This pamphlet was created in 1975 by the Flint Library’s Bi-Centennial Committee and updated in 2018 by the Flint Library’s Assistant Director, Loretta Johnson.

Click here to view a digital copy of The Stones Speak: Bits and Pieces of Middleton’s History Focused on its Cemeteries, written by Rita M. Kelley and edited and published by the Middleton Historical Society.

Here you can find three historic maps of Middleton.

Here you can find digitized issues of the Pennysaver and Tri-Town Transcript from 1962 to 2003.

This website maintains digital copies of some of the early vital records (1600-1850) for various towns in Massachusetts, including Middleton.

The Digital Records at the Massachusetts Archives includes links to numerous free online databases, including vital records 1841-1925 as well as some census lists and other genealogical information.