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The Story
The Jonathan Bourne Public Library (now the Jonathan Bourne Historical Center) in Bourne is a well-preserved Colonial Revival building of brick built in 1896 to the designs of the noted Boston architect Henry Vaughan. The story-and-a-half building, with a prominent entrance pavilion, was funded through a gift from Emily Howard Bourne as a memorial to her father, Jonathan Bourne. It is significant at the local level under Criteria A and C in the areas of education, social history, and architecture, representing both the pattern of philanthropic library sponsorship and the work of a nationally prominent architect.
About this site
Bourne, Jonathan Public Library is a landmark in Bourne, Barnstable County. It is one of 6,558 landmarks documented in Barnstable County, among 6,897 historic sites cataloged across the county on MassRoam.
The site sits at 41.7433, -70.5968 near Bourne. The nearest cataloged historic site is Briggs, George I. House (landmark), about 0.1 miles away. Others within a short drive include Bourne High School, Aptucxet Trading Post - Caretaker's Cottage Garage, and Aptucxet Trading Post Museum - Gray Gables Railroad Depot.
This record is drawn from public historical records. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
The Jonathan Bourne Public Library was established in 1891, shortly after the town of Bourne separated from Sandwich, and was named for whaling merchant and civic figure Jonathan Bourne (1811-1889), the town's namesake. His daughter Emily Howland Bourne donated the library's building, dedicated in 1897 at 30 Keene Street. That structure served as the library until 1985, when operations moved to the former Frances Stowell Grammar School, and the original building was repurposed as the Jonathan Bourne Historical Center. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
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