Civic Pride in a Lost America: Library Postcards
Public Libraries of Maine
Cities C-F
Calais
Very Romanesque.Designed by Arthur H. Vinal. Built in 1892. Still in use, with a little help from a 1985 addition.
(L) Although the card has an entire back and was printed in Germany, there is a hand stamp of JUN 9 1931. What it signifies, I do not know.
(R) Beautiful Valentine & Sons postcard, printed in Great Britain.
Camden
Unusual views, front and rear, of the library and its accompanying amphitheatre. The only other similar combo I have seen is in Waukesha, Wisconsin, but its amphitheater is separate.
Both cards were produced by Curt Teich and date from the 1930s.
Fantastic message on this poor, bedraggled RPPC:
Mr. Chairman and friends
Today, we citizens of Camden seeing in this beautiful and artistic building the realization of "our dream" are too happy for words. We heartily thank all who have helped to make possible this occasion.
The dedication of our library building.
Clinton (Brown Memorial Library)
(L) Monochrome card mailed 1906.
(R) Color card has entire back. Close examination indicates that the red walls are retouched. This card seems to be produced by the same folks that brought you the color Waukesha, WI card.
Entirely donated by W.W. Brown in 1899-1900. Still in use.
Corinna (Stewart Free Library)
Still in use.
Card printed in Germany, prior to 1907.
Two early postcards sent on successive days in 1905. Neither has any identification.
Library auditorium postcards are really scarce. On stage is a set of a Mediterranean village.
Dexter (Abbott Memorial Library)
Built in 1894, and given to the Town of Dexter. Nice Christmas present, and useful, too! Today it serves six communities.
ZIM card, mailed in 1918.
Dover (Thompson Free Library)
The communities of Dover and Foxcroft are now Dover-Foxcroft, but the 1898 Thompson Free Library is still serving both, requiring additions in 1972 and 2007.
(L) Photo postcard mailed in 1944. Its caption has the communities merged.
(R) The attractive Albertype card, in its monochromatic splendor, predates 1907. Its photo is ascribed to Elmer R. Blethen.
East Sebago (Spaulding Memorial Library)
The distinction between East Sebago and Sebago appears to be gone.
When life hands you rocks, build a library (the residents of Eliot would concur.). Leon Spaulding did, in 1923.
It's still in use today.
Photo postcard, mailed in 1947.
Eastport (Peavey Memorial Library)
1893 building, with Romanesque Revival features: still in use. It's red. Truly red. Redder than it should be. Sycamore, Illinois Carnegie building red.
Robbins Bros. card, mailed in 1909.
Eliot (William Fogg Library)
Built by local farmers out of stone, which I presume heaved up in their fields after the frosts of winter.
So why is it called the William Fogg Library, since it wasn't his house donated as a memorial?
Fogg donated the land and a bunch of his own history books, ca. 1900. The Kent Wing was also a product of local labor. As a result, the beautiful stone library is still in use.
The Frank W. Swallow card was printed in 1907 and mailed in 1909. I bet it was totally eyecatching in its day.
Ellsworth
American Art Post Card.
The Tisdale House, in which the Library dwells, was built in 1817, and has served (into perpetuity) as a library since 1897. Mercifully, it has a three-storey addition.
View showing more of the pretty setting of the library. The postcard was printed by Hugh C. Leighton.
Fairfield (Lawrence Public Library)
Unattributable monochrome postcard.
Edward Jones Lawrence was an early progressive lumber mill manager. However, it took his artistic daughter Addie to turn his eye toward a public library. He made his offer in 1900, and by July, 1901, Fairfield had its new library building, designed by William R. Miller.
Farmington (Cutler Memorial Library)
Purchased as the Farmington, IL library. Oops. But it is the only 'lilirary' card in my collection. Publisher George H. Hodgdon needed lessons in mirror writing.
Built in 1901. On the National Register of Historic Places, per Archiplanet. Again, William R. Miller designed this library.