Merrill Memorial Library

Quilts
gardens
and
poets
The first Yarmouth library was started around 1890 and located in an old Baptist Church in the center of town. This soon proved to be inadequate but fortunately the town had a wonderful man named Joseph Merrill whose dream was to provide a real library for Yarmouth.
He hired the well known Boston architect, A.W. Longfellow, the nephew of the famous poet, to construct a permanent library that the town would be proud of. The stunning new library was dedicated and opened in 1905.
The wonderful library was renovated in 1988 and greatly enlarged but it retained the lovely feel and ambiance of the original structure.
The library today is a wonderful place. Huge windows and stunning wood staircases with graceful carvings and designs. A garden area outside was added in 1990 that just adds to the charm.
Lots of old libraries in New England have quilts adorning the walls but the Yarmouth Library has some really beautiful ones, including one quilt that tells the history of the town and another that is actually a map.
The librarians and people in this library were gracious, helpful and just plain nice. You could tell that they were proud of there library and wanted to share it. A wonderful library to visit and appreciate even if you aren’t interested in the books.