Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation helps Wiscasset Public Library again!!
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
The Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation generously come to the assistance of the Wiscasset Public Library by awarding a grant for $50,000 to repair the exterior of the building. This is the second time that the Foundation has assisted the Library.
Two years ago, the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation awarded a $25,000 grant to rebuild the Library’s computer network. The Library had been limping along with old computers that would each often fail multiple times a day. The King Foundation made it possible for the Library to continue to serve the community’s needs for public internet access and to continue to circulate the collection using an automated system.
This year’s grant will repair and restore the building’s exterior, making it possible for the Library to maintain a beautiful setting for the public to enjoy. Stephen and Tabitha King continue to prove themselves to be friends of Maine libraries and to Wiscasset Public Library in particular.
Wiscasset Public Library’s building has a long history.
The building was completed in 1805, built for the Lincoln and Kennebec Bank under a Massachusetts Charter of 1802. In the Northwest corner of the basement was a ”Jug Vault,” a brick structure said to have resembled a large bean pot, the top of which was entered through a trap door in the floor of the room above. In it was kept the required reserves of $100,000 in specie.
For some years the second floor was leased to the County for offices of the Clerk of Courts, the Registry of Probate, and the Registry of Deeds. Records were kept there until 1862 when Mr. Isaac T. Hobson converted the building to a private residence. He added a Mansard roof in 1870. The present roof, designed by W. Stanley Parker, was put on in 1936. The wooden ell was added during Hobson family residency. The new wing, which houses the Children’s Room and the non-fiction collection, was added in 1980.
A succession of several families lived there until 1929, when the building was purchased by a committee of generous donors for use by the citizens of Wiscasset for a Public Library.
Like most historic buildings, the Library’s physical plant is in need of repair. Crumbling mortar, broken bricks, peeling paint, and warped windows have been a problem for some time. This building is a tangible reminder of Maine’s rich history. It would have been a tragedy to see the condition of this magnificent structure continue to decline. Thanks to the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation, these issues will all be taken care of and the building will be strong and beautiful once more.
Wiscasset Public Library is greatly appreciative of the support received from The Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation.
