Leominster: Leominster Public Library

The Leominster Public Library can trace its roots to the Leominster Social Library, established in 1763 with a gift of 100 books housed in a pine secretary in the study of Reverend Francis Gardner. In 1856, the town accepted a collection of books from the Leominster Lyceum Library and appropriated $75 to support a free public library for the year. The Library was able to build its own facility courtesy of the generous construction grant of $27,500 in 1908 from wealthy businessman and library philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. It opened in 1910 and remains in the same location today, having undergone renovations in 1967 and 2007 to expand the facility and restore its original, historic structure. In 1982, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Monument Square Historic District, and Reverend Gardner’s pine secretary is still proudly displayed in the Library. For more information, visit http://leominsterlibrary.org/index.htm.