Presque Isle, Maine…nothing historic here

Mark and Emily Turner Library

Presque Isle, Maine

39 Second Street

Est. 1906

$10,000 grant

Visit June 13, 2011

If I hadn’t known this was a Carnegie Library I wouldn’t have even stopped. It has been completely renovated leaving literally no trace of a Carnegie, either inside or outside.

Outside at the rear of the library is the shell of three sides of the original it is the rear and two sides, not the front, so no original features survive.

I went inside to see if there was something remaining but it has been taken back to a shell. That section and more of the library were blocked off for the renovation. I was able to see through the windows in an upstairs office.

Sad.

From the library’s web-site:

Library Timeline

Early Store Front Libraries 1874 – 1908

Carnegie Library 1908 – 1966

Expanded Mark & Emily 1967 – present-Turner Memorial Library

A Brief History

As early as 1874, a group of interested persons formed the Presque Isle Library Association. The members referred to themselves as the “Half and Half Club,” a group dedicated to social exchanges, mutual improvement, and the establishment of a public library. The club’s name reflected the fact that its officers would consist “half of ladies and half of gentleman, when it can be arranged.”

The early collection of books was formed from donations rotated among many Presque Isle businesses, with the librarian usually drawn from the business that housed the books. The books were first placed in George Rowell’s drugstore and then moved to the Post Office where Mrs. Luce, the postmaster’s wife, served as librarian. Later Laila Smith’s millinery store held the collection. In 1905 the collection was moved to Holmes Jewelry Store and Mr. Holmes was the librarian.

Presque Isle citizens voted to build a library in 1907, using a $10,000 grant from the Carnegie Fund. Thomas H. Phair purchased a lot from the Dudley heirs for $1,000 on the southeast corner of Second and State Streets, and citizens raised an additional $937.50 for a small adjoining lot. The Presque Isle Library opened on July 1, 1908 with a collection of 2,000 books.

As the city’s population grew, the community needed a larger building and used state funding and a matching donation of $60,000 from Mark Turner, a local businessman and philanthropist. In April of 1967, the newly expanded Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library opened its doors.