Erving, New Salem, Orange, Wendell

As trustees of New Salem Academy, our mission has always been to provide scholarships and educational opportunities for residents of New Salem and surrounding areas. We hope to inspire a love of reading within our youngest residents of Erving, New Salem, Orange, and Wendell. We’re very grateful to the Imagination Library for supporting our mission and we look forward to working with them as a Local Program Partner to jointly fund this program in our region.

About New Salem Academy:

On February 25, 1795, Samuel Adams, governor of Massachusetts at the time, signed the charter that created New Salem Academy, a small private high school that, at one time, welcomed students from seven neighboring towns. New Salem Academy closed in 1969; however, the academy buildings are still in use today, and its trustees oversee the management and dispersal of investment funds to provide educational scholarships to descendants of New Salem Academy students and staff, and to support educational or cultural programs in the area. Trustees also maintain a Museum of New Salem Academy in the “Old Academy Building” on Academy Drive of the Common in New Salem center.