Hubbard Free Library

The Hubbard Free Library is the public library serving Hallowell, Maine and the surrounding communities of Chelsea and Farmingdale. Built in 1879-80, it is the oldest library building in Maine built for that purpose. It was designed by architect Alexander C. Currier to resemble an English country church. Dedicated in 1880 as the Hallowell Library, it was renamed the Hubbard Free Library in 1894, after a $20,000 donation from philanthropist Thomas Hubbard. The building is a contributing property in the Hallowell Historic District. The Hallowell Social Library was instituted in 1843, by forty-three stockholders, who paid $20. When first established, the collection was inaccessible to the general public; only subscribers and members of their families were entitled to use the books. The library became a public library five years later, and the use of the library to individuals of the public other than stockholders was available for $3 per year. This fee was reduced to $2 annually the following year, in 1848. The Friends group began a campaign to raise money for a permanent building in 1878, and in 1880 the building was dedicated. The cost of the original library was $8,300, which included the land and building. Alexander C. Currier donated his services, designing and supervising the construction of the original building. The entire building is of Hallowell granite and was contributed by Joseph R. Bodwell, then-president of the Hallowell Granite Co. and later Governor of Maine. The iron fret work that originally adorned the peaks of the building was donated by Prescott & Fuller Iron Foundry.