GORHAM – An old building that was hauled across the bridge from Windham to Gorham for a library nearly 80 years ago will make a return trip.
The Gorham Town Council unanimously authorized paying $3,000 to the Windham Historical Society to remove the former one-room South Windham Library building that Gorham owns. The building rests on private property in Gorham and the town wants it moved off by Wednesday, Oct. 31.
Windham Historical Society plans to incorporate the quaint, mustard-colored building in its plans for a living history project, the Village Green in Windham Center.
“We’re pleased Windham Historical Society is willing to move the building,” Allene Bowler of Gorham, a member of the former library’s board of trustees, said in Tuesday’s Gorham council meeting.
The Windham Historical Society requested the building in a recent letter to Gorham after learning the building could be razed. After the Gorham vote, an elated Linda Griffin, president of the Windham Historical Society, a nonprofit organization, gave Gorham’s decision the thumbs up.
Griffin said Wednesday the South Windham Library acquisition received a positive reception at a society board meeting Tuesday.
“They are interested in moving ahead and researching all the expenses involved in the move and the new foundation,” Griffin said, “I talked to the Windham assistant town planner last week and he thought we could move the building to our history park site off Route 202 and put it on temporary concrete blocks and wait for the Planning Board approval before we construct the new engineered foundation.”
Accompanied by Gorham resident Anne Dunbar, a group of Windham historians armed with a measuring tape viewed the outside of the library Tuesday morning. The building sits on posts and does not have a foundation.
“It should be easy to move,” Griffin said. “It’s in good shape.”
Bill Crane, a Windham Historical Society member, assisted by Griffin, stretched a tape along the main parts of the former library building. It measured 14 feet 7 inches in width; 27 feet in length; 10 feet 6 inches to the eaves; and 15 feet 6 inches to the peak.
The former library fits the historical society’s plans for a Village Green park project, a proposal calling for several historic buildings. The project needs approval by the Windham Planning Board.
“We’re putting the center back in Windham Center,” Griffin said.
But, future park use of the old library building in the project is unclear as the park already has a library. Ideas under discussion for the South Windham Library include housing a fire station display or it could be temporarily used as a storage shed for other artifacts.
The South Windham Library, which had dwindling patronage in recent years, closed this summer and its books were sold off in August, leaving bare shelves along walls. Sam Simonson of Westbrook, who graduated in Windham, recalled fond memories checking out books.
“It would be nice to save,” Simonson said Tuesday as he eyed the building.
Both Windham and Gorham had contributed to library expenses. Gorham figured it would cost the town $3,000 to demolish the building, and the money approved would help with moving expenses and creating a foundation at its Windham site.
The building was originally located on the Windham shore of the Presumpscot River that divides the two towns. Griffin said Tuesday the building once had served Windham firefighters as a hose house, a building where canvas water hoses were dried. But in 1934, movers plunked the building down on private property on the Gorham banks of the Presumpscot River.
A subsequent property owner, Lorraine Jonassen, who served years as librarian, and her late husband sold the library building to Gorham for $1 in 1992. A provision in the sales agreement required the building be removed when it ceased being utilized as a library.
Bowler said Jonassen wants the building moved by November. Gorham Town Councilor Michael Phinney questioned whether removal by Halloween would give the Windham group enough time.
“If you run into hurdles, come see us,” Phinney said to Griffin in the council meeting.
The small library does have an ell attached on its back, but the Windham Historical Society early Tuesday appeared interested in only the main part of the building.
“Our understanding is the historical society will take the entire building. Once the building is gone, I expect the town will do the small amount of yard work,” Gorham Town Manager David Cole said Wednesday.
Linda Griffin, president of Windham Historical Society, and society member Bill Crane spend time Tuesday measuring the South Windham Public Library in Gorham. The Gorham Town Council granted the former library building to the society for its Village Green project in Windham Center. Send questions/comments to the editors.
