Jesup History

A conversation on the veranda of the Minot Cottage in “The Field,” begins an effort to establish a Village Library in Bar Harbor. Participating in the conversation were: George Richards Minot, Francis Weld, Henry S. Grew, Miss Sarah Minot, Miss Gertrude Weld, Miss Mary Minot, Miss Maria Huntington, and Miss Harriet Minot. Shortly thereafter Miss Huntington gave the first donation of $20 (equivalent to $470 in 2020). Others offered money and books. Endora (Mrs. John S.) Salisbury agreed to keep the first 176 volumes in her home (Look Out Cottage) on the Eagle Lake Road, just beyond where the Rodick-Lorraine Building stands today.

Following a fire which partially destroyed Librarian Endora Salisbury’s home, a committee of permanent residents bought a small lot behind the Union (Congregational and Unitarian) Church and built a small frame building to house the collection, then numbering 250 books. Mrs. Salisbury was paid $1 weekly to oversee the library which was open one afternoon and one evening each week.

“An organization has recently been formed at Bar Harbor under the name of the Bar Harbor Library Association. The Society has in contemplation the erection at once of a Library building. It is intended for the use of the citizens and of visitors who pass their summers in that place. Already have several hundred volumes been placed at the disposal of the Association, and encouragement is given that on the completion of the building, a larger addition of books will be made by liberal, public-spirited visitors.” — Bangor Whig & Courier

“The summer residents and visitors who in former years have kindly contributed to the support of the public library at Bar Harbor will be gratified to know that the citizens of the place have shown their appreciation of it during the past year by drawing out between October 1st 1881 and June 1st, 1882, forty-five hundred volumes, and also by contributing to its support during the past year the sum of one hundred and twenty dollars.” —Bangor Whig & Courier

“Among the numerous local institutions none are more deserving the patronage of the rich visitor than the Bar Harbor free library.” - “Bar Harbor Letter,” Bangor Whig & Courier

“…during the winter and spring, the library will be wholly free to the inhabitants of the village… it is hoped that this policy may become the established one… This is a return to the original plan of the library.” Mount Desert Herald

“It is said that the Unitarian people, of Bar Harbor, have started a circulating library and are receiving some donations of valuable books. As it will soon be inconvenient to have the library in a private dwelling, steps are being taken to build a public building, two stories high, one room for library purposes, the other as a public lecture room, says the Mt. Desert Herald.” —Bangor Whig & Courier

“…the work of moving the old Congregational church and library building at Bar Harbor preparatory to erecting a new edifice, has already begun and the lot will be ready as soon as the plans for the new [church] building have been decided upon. —Bangor Whig & Courier

“Plans have been drawn by Andrews & Jacques [of Boston] for a new village library building to be built on Ledgelawn Avenue… Work will begin at once.” —Bar Harbor Record

"A 'Kermesse' will be held at the Rodick House (Maine’s largest hotel) with one-third of the performance proceeds going to the building fund of the new village library and two-thirds of the proceeds going to the Village Improvement Association." — Bar Harbor Record

The Bar Harbor Record noted that a sociable would be held in the music room of the Grand Central Hotel (where the Town Green is located today) to raise funds to turn the old library into a club for the Village’s firemen. In a separate editorial, the Record endorsed the fundraising effort.

“The Bar Harbor public library has one of the finest and best assortments of books to be found in any village library in the country.” —Bar Harbor Record

Dr. Weir Mitchell gives a lecture at St. Saviors Sunday School Room to raise money for the library. Tickets cost $1.
“…it may not be generally known that it [the library] is entirely dependent for its support on voluntary contributions and every year efforts must be made to obtain money for running expenses and new books.” Dr. Mitchell, it was announced, would "talk on literary topics, dealing principally with the events during the lives of the early English dramatists.” —Whig & Courier (Bangor)

At a trustees meeting held at Mrs. Linzee’s house the previous Saturday, the library subscription fee for “cottagers” was increased from $2.00 to $3.00. “It is hoped that this slight increase in the subscription will be cheerfully paid.” During the previous 12 months 6,261 books were loaned to residents and 3,221 to summer visitors. Permanent residents of Bar Harbor continued to have free access to the collection.

The Bar Harbor Public Library contains over 6,000 volumes. 300 having been added during the summer. “Last spring the library was re-catalogued under the Dewey decimal system. During the four summer months 3,724 books were taken from the library. This institution is largely supported by the summer visitors who use it freely during their sojourn in town.” —Whig & Courier (Bangor)

“Miss [Mary] Shannon, who presened [sic] to the town the lot upon which the little Unitarian church was built, has lately offered a lot for the public library at Bar Harbor. As she made the condition that no Catholic should ever be a trustee of the library binding upon its acceptance the town refused her offered gift.” —Bangor Whig & Courier

George Bucknam Dorr begns his efforts to build a new home for the library at 34 Mount Desert Street, across from St. Savior’s Church. He approaches Maria DeWitt (Mrs. Morris K.) Jesup, who agrees to cover the cost of the building’s construction and to endow its future maintenance. The building will memorialize the late New York financier and summer colony member Morris K. Jesup (1830-1908).

“Mrs. Morris K. Jesup, donor of the new Jesup Memorial Library, which is now practically completed, has fixed upon Wednesday, Aug.30, as the date for the dedication of the new building. Mrs. Jesup’s nephew, Thomas DeWitt Cuyler, will make the formal transfer from Mrs. Jesup to the Library Association.” —The New York Times, page 7

“The Right Reverend William Lawrence, Episcopal Bishop of Massachusetts, opened the exercises, and on behalf of Mrs. Jesup, Thomas DeWitt Cuyler of Philadelphia, a nephew of Mrs. Jesup, made the presentation speech, and turned over the deed of the property the Library Corporation. The speech of acceptance was made by L.B. Deasy of Bar Harbor… The building, a handsome structure of brick, with Indiana sandstone trimmings, is one of the finest library buildings of its size in New England.”” —The New York Times

"On August 30, 1911, Mrs. Jesup’s new building was accepted by a newly-constituted Board of Trustees." —The Bar Harbor Review

The Founding Board of Trustees:

Luere Babson Deasy
Mary M. Leffingwell
Elizabeth Linzee
Fred C. Lynam
Louisa S. Minot
Ann Wyman Morrill
Leonard E. Opdycke
Edith Opdycke
Vernon E. Wasgatt

“The public library will close tomorrow night for nearly a week during which time the books will be transferred from the old library building to the beautiful new Jesup Memorial Library building on Mount Desert Street.” —Bar Harbor Review

The Town Warrant for 1914 includes the following item: “to see if the town will vote to raise a sum of money for the Jesup Memorial Library, and appoint a committee to act with the library in the expenditure of same, $500 raised. Moderator to appoint committee later.” —The Bar Harbor Record

Two “In Memoriam” tributes adopted by the Jesup’s Board of Directors appeared in the weekly newspaper. The first was for Board Member Dr. S. Weir Mitchel, who died on January 4, 1914. The second was for Maria DeWitt Jesup, who had died subsequent to the Directors' previous meeting. The Directors wrote: “The Jesup Memorial Library now stands as a memorial to both Mr. and Mrs. Jesup, whose dignified and gracious presence, whose public spirit and sincere piety were a benediction to this place. While our hearts are heavy at our loss, we recall with happy memory our associations with them and we take up their work in their spirit of friendly helpfulness.” —The Bar Harbor Review

A lengthy feature story entitled, “Jesup Memorial Library” appeared on the front page, above the fold, of a new weekly, The Bar Harbor Times. Although the story was without byline, we know that it was lifted from a phamplet authored by George Bucknam Dorr and published, with photos, by the library.

The article concluded with the following: “The aim of the directors is to make the library, with its admirable new equipment and its slow building up from small beginnings through a generation’s work and interest, serve now the widest possible ends — both in the town’s own life and in that of its summer residents and visitors; to make it useful in the broadest sense, a source of wholesome interest and pleasure, a means of education and an instrument in aid of study; but above all, to make it serve as an awakening suggestion of the higher life of thought and feeling into which the world’s great literature, both old and new, is — next to inspiring human contact — the torch bearer and single guide.” —The Bar Harbor Times

For the second year running, the town’s warrant contains a donation of $500 to the Jesup. — The Bar Harbor Times

“The committee of the Women’s Study Club announced that had uncharge the cataloging of the books in the children’s room… wishes to announce that the work is complete and copies of the graded catalog have been placed in all grade school rooms.” — The Bar Harbor Times

“A. Eugene Gallatin held a formal exhibit of the 24 modern etchings from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts at the Jesup Memorial Library on Thursday. About 100 people were present, among them Mrs. Astor, Mrs. Fabbri, Miss Anne Morgan, General Horace Porter, Miss Belle Gurney, Constantine Brun, Mrs. J.C. Livingston, Mrs. J.T. Line and Mr. and Mrs. Edward Robinson. The exhibit is now open to the public and will remain until August 25.” — The Bar Harbor Times