Dear Friends,
Last week I talked a little about our librarians, and this week I want to talk a little about Skidompha and the Skidompha Book Shop.
The genesis of the Skidompha Library can reliably be traced back to 1885 when a group of friends joined together weekly to discuss and share books. They named themselves The Skidompha Club, an amalgamation of the first letter of the first or last name of the original Skidompha Club members.
S Stetson, Elise
K Kelsey, Julie and Addie
I Ida Benner
D David, Mrs. James
O Osman, Plummer
M Merry, Mr. and Mrs. Charles
P Pinkham, Mary
H Hilton, William Keene, Jr.
A Ames, Jennie
Skidompha was incorporated in 1905 as the Skidompha Library Association and was first housed above a shop on Main Street, Damariscotta.
Fast forward to 1968 when a volunteer started a tiny secondhand book shop to raise funds for Skidompha’s children’s collection. The Book Shop later moved to “Red Barn” on Elm Street just up the hill from Skidompha. In 2017, and bulging at the seams, the seemingly inexhaustible volunteers moved the 13,000 book collection to the Book Shop’s current residence at Backstreet Landing. To this day, all Book Shop items are donated, all Book Shop staff are volunteers, and all Book Shop proceeds are used to help fund Skidompha.
I am so proud of this incredible partnership between the Library and the Book Shop and look forward to it continuing into the distant future. Speaking of the future, next year will be Skidompha Library’s 120th anniversary. We are working on some fun ways to celebrate. Watch this space for updates as we get closer.
Be well,
Matthew
Matthew Graff
Executive Director
Skidompha Public Library