‘The Tablet’
by Bill Ames, Ames Free Library Board of Directors, Chair of Building & Endowments
‘The Tablet’ was installed at the library on the morning of Wednesday, July 13th 2022 and is the creation of sculptor Phoebe Knapp of Billings, Montana. Finished in 2004, it has been exhibited in Montana and other nearby states. The wood is walnut and comes from walnut trees in California that were planted along the El Camino Real, a.k.a. The Royal Road, that connected the 21 Spanish missions in California. So likely the wood is over 200 years old and no doubt bore witness to many travelers seeking to make a new life in California.
Phoebe and her husband Paul drove it from Billings. That morning she was assisted by Easton mason Sean Smith and several onlookers who helped as well. That night at their dinner with the library trustees at Queset House, Bill Ames made the point that Phoebe`s Tablet brings another talented artisan to the library that already includes the noted architects Henry Hobson Richrdson and Stanford White and the famous sculptor Auguste St. Gaudens. The next day, she gave a presentation at the installation site about its interesting history followed by a reception. All duly recorded for posterity by Easton Cable Access Channel.
The purchase of the Tablet was made possible by bequests left to the library in the estate plans of two longtime residents of Easton. Elizabeth Ames served on the board for over 50 years and for 20 of those years was the secretary. She and her husband David Ames, Sr. were devoted to the library and were part of the team of the board and the staff members who handed it off to the current generation of trustees in the late 1990s. She was personally acquainted with Phoebe. Both graduates of art schools, they shared a love of the arts and always enjoyed many conversations about their trials and tribulations in the art world.
Warren Moffitt was born in Brockton and graduated from Brockton High School in 1941. Warren and his wife Edna lived in Easton for 53 years. He served in the army in World War Two, landed on the Normandy beaches and was a member of the 296th Combat Engineer Battalion, responsible for clearing enemy mines and building trenches and bridges for Allied Forces. He was an active volunteer at the Brockton Veterans Administration and was recognized for his outstanding volunteer service to help veterans living in the VA Medical Center. Warren was the proprietor of Warren`s Service Station in Brockton for over 50 years.