The Southwest Harbor Public Library was dedicated at its Main Street location in 1895 in a ceremony that brought out nearly the entire town and was noted for its pomp and circumstance in the little community. The library became a focal point of community pride, and donations and contributions allowed for an addition to be built in 1939, doubling the size of the Library.
The next addition came in 1955 and constituted a children's reading room. A third expansion took place in 1963, and other addition was built over the winter of 1983-'84 to allow for more stacks to hold the library's ever-increasing collection.
The Library's final addition was built in 2000, allowing for the institution to maintain its position as a central facet to the Southwest Harbor community. The Library now holds various functions and hosts many authors and other notable figures.
Selected Southwest Harbor Public Library images:
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Deacon's Harbor on Clark Point, Southwest Harbor
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Island House and slip, Southwest Harbor, 1893
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Clark Point, Southwest Harbor, ca. 1890
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Dirigo Hotel, Southwest Harbor, 1893
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Henry and Marion Rand, Southwest Harbor, 1906
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Fernald's Cove Bridge, Southwest Harbor, 1892
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Nathan Clark cottage, Southwest Harbor, 1890
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Freeman House, Southwest Harbor, 1890
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View from the Castle, Southwest Harbor, 1890
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Men in fishing dory, Southwest Harbor, 1890
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Higgins Saw Mill, Somesville, 1890
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Net reel at Prebles Cove, Cranberry Isles, 1892