An old World War I artifact that was locked away in the attic of the library for decades and had most recently been stored in a police evidence locker has found a new home.
A Maxim machine gun originally captured and retrieved by the 17 survivors of Sergeant Alvin York's platoon is about to embark on what may be its final journey to the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, Tenn.
The gun was surrendered among other weapons in 1918 when 132 Germans were taken prisoner. The gun was sent to Nahant by Mayland Lewis, an Army clerk serving in France who took the first shorthand report of the battle from York.
The gun was exhibited as a trophy of war in the town's 1919 welcome home parade. It was placed in a red wagon that was pulled by Boy Scouts and, following the parade, Lewis presented the weapon to the Nahant Public Library. The gun was relinquished to the attic of the public library and it was rediscovered in 2003 when Library Director Daniel deStefano literally tripped over it.
The Board of Library Trustees looked into selling the weapon at auction but found itself in a Catch 22. The gun had never been registered so it is classified as an unregistered automatic weapon, which means the library could not sell it or keep it. After the gun was rediscovered, it was transferred to an evidence locker at the Nahant Police station where it has remained.
Compared to modern machine guns, the Maxim was heavy, bulky and awkward. Even though one person could fire the gun, it was usually operated by a team of men. The cooling mechanism of the weapon needed a constant supply of water in order to produce a continuous stream of fire and several men were needed to move or shift its position.
Library Trustee John Welch said the library and Nahant Historical Society tried to find a way to keep the historic gun, which is fully functional, in town but that proved impossible. The only option open to the library was to destroy the gun or to transfer it to a museum that receives federal funding so the Board of Library Trustees entered into an agreement with the Museum of Appalachia, which is building an exhibit around the weapon.
"We can't give it to Nahant Historical Society," he said. "It has to be donated to a museum that gets federal funding. So we're donating it to the Museum of Appalachia and the museum is making a $10,000 donation to our building fund. We'd much rather see the gun at the Nahant Historical Society but the government won't let us do that."
Welch said the Maxim is believed to be the last surviving weapon captured by York so it is historically very significant.
"York was from Tennessee so he's a local hero down there," he said. "The museum has a whole exhibit dedicated to York."
But before the weapon is shipped off to Appalachia, area residents will have an opportunity to see the historic Maxim. On Sunday, March 22 from 2:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m., the weapon will be on display in the library. Welch said police officers would transport the gun to the library and for a $5 donation to the Friends of the Nahant Public Library, area residents can have their picture taken with the World War I artifact.
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