Melrose Local History Room

Melrose Public Library provides an extensive local history collection. The collection features historical and current information about Melrose and its citizens, and materials about the surrounding communities as they pertain to the history and development of the city. The collection includes:

  • Books on the history of Melrose
  • City directories and/or street lists dating back to 1872/73
  • Late 19th century atlases
  • Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps on microfilm from 1887-1934
  • Melrose newspapers on microfilm (not indexed)
  • Town/city reports from 1851-1979/80 (digitized 1851-1925)
  • Melrose High School yearbooks dating back to 1925 (digitized)
  • Vertical files of clippings, photographs and miscellanea
  • Family histories
  • Digital Archive: Historic Newspapers on Microfilm includes the Melrose Record (1875-1876), Melrose Journal (1887-1903), Melrose Reporter (1887-1903), Melrose Weekly Visitor (1878-1901) and The Melrose Free Press (1901-1960).
  • City of Melrose Meeting Minutes of multiple-member bodies

The Local History collection is still available to researchers and the general public during regular library hours at the Beebe School.  Please contact the local history librarian for access to this non-circulating collection.

Please note: the Local History Room is not available for in person visits while the library is at its temporary location at the Beebe School.

Check out Melrose Pubic Library’s Digital Heritage collection, which features historical photographs relating to the history of our community, digitized Melrose High School yearbooks, postcard collection and online exhibit of First 150 Years of the Melrose Public Library and more!