What are the opening hours?

Tuesday 11am - 3pm Wednesday 11am - 3pm Thursday 11am - 3pm

Dyer Memorial Library

Home
United States
Abington, MA
Dyer Memorial Library

Dyer Memorial Library: History & Genealogy of Abington, Rockland, Whitman

Dyer Memorial Library & Archives: Bridging the past to the future for the communities of Abington, Rockland and Whitman, MA
- Research your genealogy and family history!
- Discover the history of your town!
- Explore and learn history through our collections!

08/23/2026

THIS OLD ABINGTON BUILDING – from the Dyer Library and Archives, 28 Centre Ave., Abington
The Winthrop Building, constructed in 1885, was located at 175-177 North Avenue in Abington began as a business block, with stores below and apartments above. The original owner was the Standish Block Association. The Standish Block Association, a group of local businessmen, had previously built and run the Standish Block building in 1881, located at just to the east of what would be the Winthrop Building. The original style of the building was Italianate with a pyramid roof. It stood on the lot just east of the First Baptist Church. The building was recovered with imitation aluminum clapboard around 1978.
The Winthrop building was dwarfed by its “mother building” the Standish Building which stood next door to the east. The Standish Building burned in February of 1977. Eleven people were alerted to the fire by Michael Malinowski, a tenant, and two mechanics, Kevin Wilson and David Murray, from Bud Little’s garage across the street. The fire may have been caused by an oil burner malfunction. Nine towns helped put out the Standish Building blaze.
Throughout its history, the Winthrop Building housed a hardware store, grocery store, dry-goods store, a crafts material shop, a thrift shop, a bank, a shoe store and at one time the North Abington branch of the public library. It, too, succumbed to fire.

Visuals:
The Standish Building is to the left and is larger than its “child”, the Winthrop Building.
Drawing from North Abington Souvenir booklet, 1889-1890. Today nothing stands on the site of these buildings’ original homes.

08/09/2026

THIS OLD ABINGTON HOUSE
The building at 23 Wales Street in Abington was originally a tiny, single story grocery store built somewhere between 1857 and 1867. It was designed with a Greek Revival influence. Additions have been made over the years so that it now houses two apartments, in addition to the original commercial section, formerly Tom’s Barber Shop, now J’s Barber Shop.
The address is currently 23 Wales Street but originally was 4 North Avenue.
The chain of title goes back to 1867 when Seth Reed sold the triangular lot with a tiny building on it to David Thomas Beals. Seth Reed was very active in real estate, having bought or come into possession of twenty-five different pieces of property during the years between 1857 and 1867.
By the middle of the 1880s, Eugene Llewellyn Chapman owned the building, and he and his wife managed a grocery store. Their advertising card in the 1905 Business Directory lists the store under “Meats and Provisions: Beef, Pork, Lamb, veal and Poultry; and Canned Goods and vegetables”. In 1920 Margaret E. Buser maintained a bakery in the rear addition, identified at that time as 3 Wales Street.

07/19/2026

THIS OLD ABINGTON BUILDING
The building located at 1347 Washington Street started its life as a grocery store as early as 1905. It is a small utilitarian building, originally covered in clapboard.
The tiny storefront, about the size of a garage, occupies the southwest corner of the lawn of 1353 Washington Street, occupied by Kasemer Plewaks at the time the grocery store was in business. He is listed as being age 56 and in the business of provisions. The small building continued to be operated as a grocery store until 1915 when it came into the possession of the Tyler family. The store operated only sporadically during the years the Tylers resided at 1353 Washington Street.
In the “1916 Building Directory” the building is listed as the office headquarters of the Burke bros. Plumbing Shop.
In the ensuing years, the little building has been, among other things, an antique store, a hair dressing shop and a computer repair business.
The tiny store is presently empty.

07/04/2026

A cross post from the Historical Society of Old Abington (HSOA)

BEFORE INDEPENDENCE WAS DECLARED, actually over 6 years prior, in March of 1770, ABINGTON declared and published their "NOBLE RESOLVES". As late Abington Historian Martha Campbell wrote back in 1975,

"The sentiments and, indeed, some of the words and phrases used six years later in the Declaration of Independence by the United States of America in July 1776 can be detected in Old Abington's Noble Resolves...."

A poster-sized copy reprinted from the Boston Gazette of Monday, April 2, 1770 was issued for sale in 1975 in the lead up to the Bicentennial Celebrations.

Who still has a copy ?

We've also reproduced a more legible copy from Aaron Hobart's history book from 1839

07/02/2026

Happy 4th of July! Two hundred and fifty years ago, in the Spring of 1776, the People of Abington were asked to vote on whether they would support Independence. On May 27, 1776, it was recorded that "The Town votes that there Representative should vote for an Independent state and that we wil stand By the United Colonys with their lives and fortunes." This Warrant to the People of Abington is dated April 30th, 1776, signed by Gen. James Warren of Plymouth as High Sherriff of Plymouth County and President of the Provincial Congress, requesting the town send a representative to the Massachusetts Provincial Congress meeting in Watertown. Abington and other Massachusetts towns voted in favor of Independence.

06/03/2026

Abington Celebrates! Founders Day at the Dyer Memorial Library
The Dyer Memorial Library will be open from 12 noon to 3pm this Saturday, June 6 , 2026
Visit the the Dyer Memorial Library for Abington Celebrates! Founders Day. See the collections of the Library & the Historical
Society of Old Abington, tour the ongoing Re-Imaging the
Revolution in Old Abington exhibit, dress like a Revolutionary soldier, play family games and activities.
The Dyer Memorial Library 28 Center Avenue, Abington, MA

05/28/2026

The Dyer Memorial Library will be open for Abington Celebrates! Founders Day. Saturday, June 6th, 2026, 12 noon to 3pm.

04/30/2026

Join the Historical Society of Old Abington for Drums of the Revolution this Sunday, 2pm, at the Dyer Memorial Library.

04/14/2026

The original Selectmen's Books in the collections of the Historical Society of Old Abington housed at the Dyer Memorial Library include the "Abington Treasurer's Book. The first page includes the names of town treasurers from 1732 to 1763, including Samuel Jackson, Christopher Dyer, Woodbridge Brown, and Josiah Torrey. See this and more at the Dyer Memorial Library's Spring Open House, this Friday, April 17th, from 4 to 6pm.

04/02/2026

Dyer Memorial Library Spring Open House
Friday, April 17th, 4-6pm
You are invited to the Dyer Memorial Library's Spring Open House. See new acquisitions to the collections of the Library and the Historical Society of Old Abington, tour the ongoing Re-Imaging the Revolution in Old Abington exhibit, and view a special display of the original 18th Century Selectmen's Record books. Get a preview of the completed GAR Transcription project. Join the staff, board, and volunteers to explore and learn more about the Dyer Memorial Library.

Address

28 Centre Avenue
Abington, MA
02351

Opening Hours

Tuesday	11am - 3pm
Wednesday	11am - 3pm
Thursday	11am - 3pm

Telephone

+17818788480

Website

http://www.dyerlibrary.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Dyer Memorial Library posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Abington?