Mission
Wilder Memorial Library’s mission is to be a welcoming center of exploration, learning and discovery for everyone.
Vision
Wilder Memorial Library’s vision is to engage with and respond to the community and be a window to the world.
The Wilder Memorial Library – Then and Now
As the renovation and reimagining of the Wilder Memorial Library comes to fruition, it’s appropriate to take a look back and compare the “Then and Now” of this venerable structure.
While the current structure dates from about 1820, there was mention of a dwelling house, barn and outhouses where the Wilder Memorial Library stands today as early as 1803. There was a potash works and a tannery there during this time operated by Icabod Onion and Ebenezer White. John Wilder occupied the building when he first came to Weston until his fine home across the street was built in 1827. The old building, now the library, was a tenement house for quite some time. In the latter half of the 19th century the building was painted white and had a center chimney. It housed a shoemaker’s shop and Peter Fagan’s tailor shop on the first floor, with living quarters in the attic/half story.
After marrying Emma Wilder, Lewis Parkhurst bought and restored the house, and in 1908, presented it to the town as the “Wilder Memorial Library.” While the library was open for business on July 28, 1909, its formal dedication was held during Old Home Week in 1912 according to our notes (and the photo below). The beautiful painted arched glass window on the west side is a memorial to the Parkhurst’s son, Wilder Parkhurst, who died in 1904 as a student at Dartmouth College.
The original building, constructed as a dwelling, is described as a 1 1/2 story, 5×1 bay, brick Cape in the submission to the National Register of Historic Places application. The brick is laid in Flemish bond, and the building has a Granick block/brick foundation and slate roof. The Colonial Revival elements were added during the 1908 renovation and conversion to the library. The 1908 renovation also opened up the upper (half) story to expose the ridge and supported with natural-finish oak hammerbeam trusses.
A beautiful old building, now being updated and expanded to meet the needs of the day (just as was done in 1908) the Wilder Memorial Library retains most of the key and historical features that makes it one of Weston’s enduring treasures. Retained are the front façade and porch with the new elements gracefully flowing from the old to the new.
-Howie Brosseau, Weston Historical Society
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Wilder Memorial Library 