Framingham Local History

The Framingham local history collection is located on the second floor of the Main Library. This collection has noncirculating materials in various formats, which capture aspects of the history of Framingham and its residents, past and present. Catalogued materials are listed in the online catalog by author, title, and subject. The Reference staff is available to assist in the use of these materials during regular service hours. 

See our local history guides for details about this collection.

Local History Additions

The Reference department proudly announces two new additions to our local history collection! We have gathered a collection of more than 80 postcards depicting Framingham in an era before telephones were commonly used. If you would like to add to this collection, we would be happy to be the recipient of your old post cards. Please come take a look at the Framingham Public Library Postcard Collection (FRAMRM LOCKED CASE 383.122).

Historic Framingham Photographs

We have also created a collection of many historic photographs depicting aspects of life in Framingham. The photos are stored in boxes each with subject indexes. See a sampling of these photographs online.

Framingham Newspapers on Microfilm

The main Library's microfilm collection dates back to 1871 with the Framingham Gazette and continues up through the present with the MetroWest Daily News. A few years between 1910 and 1930 are missing, so please call or email us to confirm availability. In addition to local Framingham papers, we also have selected years of the Boston Globe and the New York Times on microfilm. (The Boston Globe and New York Times are also available online, from the 1980s to the present.)
 

If you are unable to come into the library, and if you know a specific date of an article or obituary you are looking for, call or email us and we will conduct a search for the information you requested.

Ancestry.com

Did you know you can use Ancestry.com at the Library? Thousands of family history databases, including vital records, census records, ship passenger lists, military records and lots more! Please note: Ancestry.com is accessible in the Library only.

Heritage Quest

Search census records from home! HeritageQuest Online is a digital resource that combines searchable images of U.S. federal genealogical census records with digitized books containing family and local histories from around the country. It includes 25,000 family and local history books, U.S. census records, and PERSI, an index of over 1.6 million genealogy and local history articles. Heritage Quest can be used from home if you are a Framingham resident.

Yearbooks

Thanks to Boston Public Library, our Framingham High School yearbooks have been digitized and are available for viewing and downloading on the Internet Archive. There are 84 Framingham High yearbooks in total, spanning from 1931-2012. (Both North and South High schools are included for the years when there were two high schools.) Click here to view yearbooks online.