Begun as a lyceum in 1856, the Colchester Library Association was formally organized in 1879. Having occupied various rented quarters, the library’s permanent home at 8 Linwood Avenue was opened in 1905. A former Bacon Academy student, Dr. Edwin B. Cragin, a New York physician, provided the funds to complete the building, which was named the Cragin Memorial Library. Dr. Cragin was a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology, known for his phrase: “Once a cesarean, always a cesarean.” The Library was built on the site where the Cragin family home had once stood. The architect of the Neoclassical building was Albert B. Boss of New York. The library was later expanded with a new building in 2002.

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Cragin Memorial Library (1905)

One thought on “Cragin Memorial Library (1905)

  • January 27, 2012 at 5:56 am
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    My mother was Caroline B. Cragin of Savannah Ga.
    Her father was Henry Augustus Cragin who I believe was the good doctors
    cousin. My mother always wanted to visit the library but unfortunately
    never made the trip. My grandfather fought in the Spanish-American War
    And died in an old soldiers home in California.

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