History

History of the library building:

The building dates to 1856 when a Percy family
bought land at the Phippsburg Center (beside
what is now the Bisson's Center Store) and
erected a building. They called the building
Percy Hall and used it for community affairs.
In 1886 the hall was sold to the Phippsburg
Congregational Church to be used as a chapel.

Establishing the library:
In 1924, at the annual town meeting, the citizens of Phippsburg accepted from the will of Albert F. Totman a bequest of $4,400.00 to establish a public library. The Phippsburg Congregational Church chapel, formerly the Percy Hall, was bought from the church for $250.00 with $2,400.00 spent for remodeling the building. Townspeople donated old and used books. Mrs. Annie Pease was named librarian at a salary of $100.00 per year.

By 1945 the Totman bequest was down to $500.00 and for reasons of safety the deteriorating building was closed. At the 1949 town meeting, as a result of a warrant article sponsored by the Phippsburg PTA, five trustees were elected and the library was reopened for two hours on Saturdays.

In November 1984, to make way for the widening of Route 209, the library was moved to its current site on 28 Parker Head Road.

An addition was added in 1991 which now houses the Children's room. In the current years, several renovations inside and out have been completed to update the library. In 2008 the new meeting room was built for nonprofits and library committees to host speakers and events. In 2009 the installation of the elevator was completed and the second floor was renovated for a new children/teen room in 2010.