Holderness Free Library

United States historic place

Holderness Free Library

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

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Location| 866 US 3, junction of NH 113, Holderness, New Hampshire
Coordinates| 43°43′55″N 71°35′18″W﻿ / ﻿43.73194°N 71.58833°W﻿ / 43.73194; -71.58833
Area| 0.4 acres (0.16 ha)
Built| 1909 (1909)
Architect| Fox & Gale
NRHP reference No.| 85000478[1]
Added to NRHP| March 7, 1985

The Holderness Free Library is the public library of Holderness, New Hampshire. It is located at 866 US Route 3, at its junction with New Hampshire Route 113. The architecturally eclectic building it presently occupies was built in 1909 to a design by Boston architects Fox & Gale, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. It was the first purpose-built building for the library, which had occupied private homes and other facilities since its founding in 1893.[2][3]

## Architecture and history[edit]

The Holderness Free Library is located prominently in the village center of Holderness, at the northeast corner of US 3 and New Hampshire 113, on a lot overlooking the Squam River. It is a small single-story masonry building, with a brick exterior on a stone foundation. It is covered by a hip roof with slightly flared eaves, under which are elaborately decorated rafter ends. The brickwork is mostly common bond, with corner quoining and bands of corbelling above the window bays. The entrance is at the center of the symmetrical south-facing front facade, sheltered by a wood-frame vestibule whose entrance has a Classical surround of fluted pilasters and a segmented-arch pediment. The interior is a single large chamber, finished in a variety of woodwork.[2]

The library has its beginnings in a private collection established by summer residents in 1878, which was loaned to the public from a private residence. In 1893, the town officially adopted this collection, which was placed in Whitten's General Store. The store (and several other buildings in the village center) were destroyed by fire in 1906, reducing most of the original collection to ashes. Private funds, raised mainly from wealthy summer residents, paid for the construction of this building, which was completed in 1909 to a design by the Boston firm of Fox & Gale. The building is one of the architecturally most eclectic in the New Hampshire Lakes Region, exhibiting a harmonious combination of Classical, Colonial Revival, and Victorian elements.[2]

## See also[edit]

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Grafton County, New Hampshire

## References[edit]

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. ^ a b c "NRHP nomination for Holderness Free Library". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
3. ^ "History". Holderness Free Library. Archived from the original on 2013-09-16. Retrieved 2014-04-02.

## External links[edit]

* Library web site

* v
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* e

National Register of Historic Places in Grafton County, New Hampshire

National Historic
Landmark|

* The Epic of American Civilization Murals

Historic districts|

* Ashland Gristmill and Dam
* Canaan Street Historic District
* Central Square Historic District
* Colburn Park Historic District
* Dorchester Common Historic District
* Enfield Shaker Historic District
* Enfield Village Historic District
* Haverhill Corner Historic District
* Hebron Village Historic District
* Lyme Center Historic District
* Lyme Common Historic District
* Orford Street Historic District
* Plymouth Historic District
* Shepard Hill Historic District
* True Farm
* Webster Estate

Historic properties|

* Abbie Greenleaf Library
* Ashland Junior High School
* Ashland Railroad Station
* Bath Covered Bridge
* Bedell Covered Bridge‡
* Boulderwood
* Brick Store
* Bristol Town Hall
* Burleigh Brae and Webster Boathouse
* Burt–Cheney Farm
* Camp Carnes
* Camp Mowglis
* Camp Ossipee
* Canaan Meetinghouse
* Centre Village Meeting House
* Chapel of the Holy Cross
* Chocorua Island Chapel
* Daniel Carr House
* Dorchester Community Church
* Dow Academy
* Edward H. Lane House
* Enfield Center Town House
* Felsengarten
* First Free Will Baptist Church and Vestry
* Frost Place
* Goodall-Woods Law Office
* Great Hollow Road Stone Arch Bridge
* Hanover Town Library
* Haverhill–Bath Covered Bridge
* Hewitt House
* Holderness Free Library
* Holderness Inn
* Jeremiah Hutchins Tavern
* Lisbon Inn
* Littleton Town Building
* Lovett's by Lafayette Brook
* Lyme–East Thetford Bridge‡
* Minot–Sleeper Library
* Morey Memorial Bridge‡
* Moses Kent House
* Norman and Marion Perry House
* North Holderness Freewill Baptist Church–Holderness Historical Society Building
* Old Grafton County Courthouse
* Owls Head
* Piermont Bridge‡
* The Rocks
* Rockywold–Deephaven Camps
* Sawyer–Medlicott House
* Sphinx Tomb
* Spring Hill Farm
* St. Mark's Episcopal Church
* Stone Arch Underpass
* Swiftwater Covered Bridge
* Thayer's Hotel
* Trinity Church
* US Post Office and Courthouse–Littleton Main
* Watch Rock Camp
* Whipple House
* Woodsville Opera Building

Footnotes|

‡This historic property also has portions in an adjacent state.

See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Grafton County, New Hampshire and List of National Historic Landmarks in New Hampshire
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