08/26/2026
Last week’s Farmers Market featured these buttons : Did you know that Edgell Memorial Library, the Framingham History Center, is a Civil War memorial building?
530 Framingham men served in the Civil War from 1861-1865. 27 of them died and are remembered at Edgell Memorial Library today through the large bronze soldier monument and an inscribed tablet of their names. Two of the most well-known Framingham Civil War veterans are General George Henry Gordon and Brevet Major Zabdiel Bolyston Adams.
General Gordon grew up in Framingham Centre during the 1830’s. He went on to attend West Point, graduating in 1846, and served in the Mexican-American War with distinction. He then attended Harvard Law, opened a practice in Boston, and helped organize and lead the Second Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He is Framingham’s highest-ranking veteran.
Brevet Major Adams was born in Boston in 1829 and graduated from Bowdoin College in 1849. He went on to attend Harvard Medical School and completed his studies in 1853. Adams was a staunch abolitionist and volunteered for military service 1861 and served as a surgeon and soldier, returning to duty after numerous injuries and imprisonment. He moved to Framingham in 1867 and went on to help found the Framingham Hospital in 1893.
We hope to see you at this week’s Farmers Market!
FHC Collection 8005
If you’ve enjoyed these glimpses into the FHC collection, you have Emma Tessitore to thank. Emma, as one of our summer interns, has researched artifacts in the collection and written up their history for all of us to enjoy. We wish her well this semester and will miss her around the FHC!
