Gallison Memorial Library

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Gallison Memorial Library is the public library for Harrington, Maine. It sits at 1292 Main Street, along United States Route 1, in Harrington’s rural village center. The brick building is built in the Colonial Revival style and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History: Harrington’s first library was a private subscription library run by the Martha Washington Society. By 1883, the Village Library Association formed, and in 1912 it bought the current site. In 1921, Alice (Stout) Gallison donated funds to build a new library in memory of her husband Forest Gallison. The Bangor firm Crowell & Lancaster designed the building, which was completed in 1923. A rear addition was added around 2004 to provide more space for stacks and modern library services.

Architecture: The original building is a small, single-story brick structure with a symmetrical front, a center entrance flanked by columns and a fanlight, and a side-facing gable roof. Inside, it was originally a large open room with a fireplace and bookcases lining the walls. The rear addition added nearly 1,000 square feet for more stacks and facilities.

National Register of Historic Places: Gallison Memorial Library was added to the National Register on January 11, 2001, and the property covers less than an acre.