National Register of Historic Places

Vinalhaven Public Library

Vinalhaven, Knox County, Maine
Listed
January 5, 1989
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
88003014

About this property

The Vinalhaven Public Library is the public library serving the island community of Vinalhaven, Maine. It is located at 6 Carver Street in downtown Vinalhaven, in a small architecturally distinguished Prairie School building built in 1906 with financial support from Andrew Carnegie. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The Vinalhaven Public Library stands near the eastern end of Vinalhaven's commercial downtown area, at the junction of Carver, Chestnut, and Main Streets. The building is a single-story structure, built out of quarry-faced granite and covered by a hip roof. The roof has extended eaves with exposed rafters, with a chimney rising near the left wall. The main entrance is in the center of the facade facing Carver Street, recessed under a round arch in a projecting section topped by a flat parapet. A high stringcourse runs beneath a narrow band of square windows on either side of the entrance. The interior has a central librarian's desk with flanking reading rooms, and original wooden shelving on the walls. Vinalhaven's public library originated in 1887, when Governor Joseph R. Bodwell, owner of one of Vinalhaven's granite quarries, made a pledge to provide space for a library if funds were raised to establish one. A private circulating library was added to this early collection in 1890, and was established in Vinalhaven's Memorial Hall in 1895. The present building was constructed in 1906, funded in part by a grant from Andrew Carnegie. It was designed by the firm of George A. Clough and Herbert L. Wardner, and is the only Prairie School library design in the state. National Register of Historic Places listings in Knox County, Maine

Location

Vinalhaven, Knox County, Maine
44.04870, -68.83146

Categories

EDUCATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Union Church of Vinalhaven
Civil War
0 mi
Star of Hope Lodge
Industrial
0.1 mi
Vinalhaven Galamander, The
Listed
0.1 mi
Webster, Moses, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Pleasant River Grange No. 492
Industrial
1.9 mi

Questions about this property

When was Vinalhaven Public Library listed on the National Register?

Vinalhaven Public Library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 5, 1989.

What type of historic resource is Vinalhaven Public Library?

Vinalhaven Public Library is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Vinalhaven Public Library?

The period of significance for Vinalhaven Public Library is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Vinalhaven Public Library?

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