In 1899, Foxcroft voted to give $250 annually towards allowing their residents to use the library. Interestingly (if you are into legislative minutiae), this was declared illegal under state law! Luckily, Frank Guernsey, the wheeler-dealer who wanted a better view of Main Street, was now a state representative and helped a bill making the appropriation legal in under two weeks, allowing Foxcroft residents to use the library effective April 1, 1899.
With the library open, Mrs. Annie B. Emerson was the first official librarian from 1898-1907. She had been a schoolteacher throughout the town previously These close ties with the schools continued, as the TFL sent boxes of books to be used at all of the local rural schools, which seemed to be mutually beneficial when reading about them in the town reports. Originally, hours and pay for librarians was very low, but the 1901 town report showed that the librarian salary had tripled and an assistant librarian and janitor had been hired. Sadly, in 1902 the librarian took a pay cut and the assistant librarian/janitor position had been combined. Amazingly, 1,501 of the 1,889 residents of the town had library cards at that time. Today, we have around 2,600 cards and around 4,400 residents.
In 1907, there was a sizable raise for the librarian, the assistant librarian was relieved of janitorial duties, and there was even an expense account for the librarian. A hand-written note on the town report notes that this was because “the library was opened daily,” requiring a full-time position. The new year saw a new librarian, Mary Averill, who held the position until 1926, the third longest tenure behind only Shirley Surrette (30 years) and Helen Folger (21 years.) She was the sister of Anna Averill the poet. She had been known in Dover literary circles for years. Under her leadership, the library expanded to include a newly-dug basement, the first of many expansions over the years.
Mary Averill (above) was the second librarian at Thompson Free Library and stayed in the position for twenty years. Her sister, Anna, was the poet who read The Thompson Free Libary at the library’s dedication.
In the years since the library’s founding, the Thompson Free Library has changed, as has the town itself. Luckily for all involved, the library and the town have grown and changed together, and it is as relevant to the town as it has ever been. In 1972, an addition approximately doubled the upstairs of the library. Another in 2006 doubled that space again. In 2023, a wonderful pavilion was added outside. These additions have created a lot of space for books, programs, and other uses, but have managed to keep the building looking exactly the same from Main Street. We, the citizens of Dover-Foxcroft, owe a debt of gratitude to the men and women whose donations and actions, however large or small, have made the Thompson Free Library the place that it is today. We also must continue the work of continuing to make the library relevant to the citizens of our town now and into the future.
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