History of the Hamlin Memorial Library & Museum

In March of 1805, Oxford County was officially established, with Paris selected as the County Seat. One of the first business transactions for the new county was to acquire property for, and then build, the County buildings. There is no record of what happened to the very first jail building supposedly built from the plans in the 1805 papers, other than a reference that the second building be built on the site of the first.

The building that now houses the library and museum was built in 1822, of granite blocks quarried in the town of Oxford and dragged up Paris Hill over the frozen ground of winter. The building was two stories, with each floor entirely self-contained and accessible only by outside doors.

By 1896 the county seat had moved to South Paris. The vacant jail was purchased by Dr. Augustus C. Hamlin, nephew of Vice President Hannibal Hamlin. He removed the cells and granite floor between stories, creating one large open room, and replaced the roof with an Indian-inspired dome. He then deeded the building to the Paris Hill Library Association with stipulations that still guide the trustees today.

Hamlin Hall opened as a free public library in the fall of 1902 and has remained in continuous operation ever since.

In the 1960s the domed roof was replaced with one closer to the original 1822 design. A new second floor, interior staircase, and library shelving were added. Today the building serves as a circulating library, research facility, and museum preserving local, state, and national history.