[LIB6114] - Originally designed as a private home, this beautifully proportioned Greek Revival temple-style structure was built in the 1840's by William Maxwell Reed. In 1923, the town of Boothbay Harbor purchased the property on Oak Street from the heirs of Chapman Reed. The dedication ceremony was held in July of 1923. The Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library was incorporated the next year with a 15 member board of trustees.
The original homestead has been remodeled three times. To create the Library in 1923, the front door was relocated from the ell to the center front of the main room which is today known as the Great Room. A Greek revival front was added and a World War I memorial plaque was placed over the fireplace. In 1966 a reading room was added, and in 1976 the building was extended along Howard Street to add a children's room. In 1969 the Hyde House next door, which now houses the Friends of the LIbrary Used Bookstore, was willed to the Library. The contents were auctioned and the proceds added to the Endowment Fund. The Library is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. [Website]
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