Opened in 1912, this is the Oldest Museum of Natural History in the State
The Libby Museum, Wolfeboro New Hampshire
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- New Hampshire
- Museum
Museum History
The Libby, as it is called, is a museum of natural history with emphasis on the flora and fauna of New Hampshire. It contains collections and/or specimens of native animals, plants, minerals, fish, and birds. It attracts thousands of visitors (between 4,500 and 5,000 yearly) and also provides educational experiences to hundreds of youngsters in the summer and to school groups in the spring and fall. It has provided, with some minor exceptions, these types of services since its opening in 1912.Dr. Libby began planning for this museum in 1890, having collected and mounted a wide variety of specimens. He conceived the idea of a museum when his collection outgrew his space in which to house it. His dream was realized in 1912, by which time he had retired to devote himself to this endeavor. He perceived the museum thus:
Dr. Libby maintained this purpose for the 21 years he lived after the completion of the museum. He passed away in 1933 leaving the museum to family members with the proviso that they maintain it in his vision. He provided that if it was not maintained according to the terms of his will, the museum would go to the town of Wolfeboro. This occurred on August 7th, 1956, when the Probate Court of Carroll County declared the Selectmen of Wolfeboro to be the Libby Museum's trustees.
The Libby Museum exemplifies a tradition beginning in the late 18th Century, "The Age Of Reason" and reaching its high point during the 19th Century's Victorian Era. It was believed that all knowledge was knowable, and that if one could understand the laws of nature, one could understand everything. Athenaeums and lyceums began to be established around the turn of the 19th Century in response to these beliefs. These institutions, like earlier royal "cabinets" collected in the fields of natural history, art, and literature; but unlike the earlier "cabinets" the new athenaeums and lyceums were committed to popular education. During the Victorian period, schools, museums, and libraries were constituted on a much greater scale through the largesse of wealthy benefactors. Creation of these popular institutions was inspired by the desire to make knowledge available to people from all walks of life.
In New Hampshire, this movement resulted in the establishment of a number of institutions that were devoted to collecting in all fields of knowledge. Both the Portsmouth Athenaeum (founded 1817) and the New Hampshire Historical Society (founded in 1823) originally had substantial natural history collections, but both institutions evolved to place almost complete emphasis on books, manuscripts, and collections of fine and decorative arts. The New Hampshire Antiquarian Society in Hopkinton (founded in 1859 and incorporated in 1875) and the Woodman Institute in Dover (founded in 1915) also were established to collect in wide-ranging fields of natural history, science, art, and literature. Both retain their natural history collections and also maintain collections in a variety of other categories, whereas the Libby is unique in New Hampshire in being exclusively a natural history museum.
Property Description
The Libby Museum is a single story, approximately 120 Ex 40 E building located on Route 109 at Winter Harbor on Lake Winnipesaukee in Wolfeboro, NH. It was constructed in 1912 by the Doe construction company of Wolfeboro. It was designed by Dr. Henry Libby with consultation from the Doe Co. and an architect from Boston, MA by the name of C. Howard Walker. The building sits on a 1.42 acre parcel of land on what is historically known as College Road (Route 109) at the corner of Lang Pond Road.The foundation of the Libby Museum is of cement and rises to about 4 feet above the ground on the west side. The outside walls are of 8" x 8" vertical posts, the walls being covered with stucco and rising to the height of the roof line approximately 20 feet above ground level. There are 6'6" x 4'4" single pane windows, or translucent glass, on all four sides which are placed on their long axis. There are a total of 30 of these windows with 10 on the front, 12 on the back, and 4 on each of the sides. There is a one-bay portico on the (south) facade which covers the main entrance to the building. The gable portico is supported by cement slab 24' wide by 12' deep. It supports a gable on vertical posts.
The hip roof (once sheathed in Spanish tile) has a covering of asphalt shingles. The roof is supported by 4" x 4" rafters which have additional 4" x 4" struts at each 8" x 8" posts in the north and south walls. There are no interior posts but each post on the two long sides of the building are connected to each other by steel cables.
The interior consists of one large room with a suspended ceiling 20' above the hardwood floor. The inside walls are of plaster.
One ingenious feature of this building is an air circulation system which starts in the foundation of the south wall continues under the floor and across to the north wall. Here there are exits inside the museum below the window line which are hidden to the casual observer. There are four openings at ground level in the foundation at the south (front) of the building. Air enters these 50" x 18" openings to exit, as previously described, cooling the building.
Also on the property, just behind the museum is a small wooden storage shed, with asphalt roofing, which was constructed in 1990.
Photographs of Libby Museum
