William Fogg Library

At the turn of the Twentieth Century, the citizens of the small town of Eliot hungered for a library. Most of them were of modest means–farmers, fishermen, craftsmen–and could not afford personal libraries. They held bake sales and church suppers, sold quilts, and organized a small fair to raise money for their dream — a library with books for all.

Built By Our Community

Local farmers gathered the stones from their fields to help make the facade of the original library building.

A Little History…

Dr. John S.H. Fogg gave the land for the library, along with his personal collection of American history books, and an endowment. The library was named in honor of his father, William Fogg, whose homestead still sits on library property. Dr. John Fogg also bequeathed his estate to fund the continued operation of the library. You can visit the restored Fogg Homestead and see personal artifacts from the Fogg family and the historic Fogg collections on Dr. Fogg’s Birthday, at the Victorian Tea, and by appointment.

The Kent Wing Addition

Carrying on the tradition that helped build the original library, much of the labor for the Kent Wing, the new children’s wing, was donated. We thank our neighbors for their continued support!

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Welcome to the William Fogg Library

Welcome to the William Fogg Library, Eliot’s community library. The year 2007 marked our Centennial, and we are still going strong.

In addition to an extensive collection of children’s and adult books, we offer numerous free programs, lectures, story hours, children’s activities, special events, free CDs, DVDs, computer use and Internet, free tax preparation services, book clubs and more. Please explore our website to learn how we can add enrichment and enjoyment to your life!

What’s Happening at the Library

For more information please visit our Upcoming Events Page!

This Children’s Museum Workshop has been rescheduled for Monday, August 11, 2014 at 1:30 pm. Hope to see you there!

A museum educator will lead participants in an upcycling adventure. We’ll learn about the human footprint, keeping the earth healthy, and play the “What is it now?” guessing game. Children can choose from several open-ended upcycling craft stations and make something to take home. For children ages 4-10. Call or come in to sign up!

Support Your Library

We are always grateful for the generous support of our patrons. Your gifts help us maintain and expand services, programs, hours of operation, and assist with the care of this historic building.

Currently, the library is in need of some significant repairs. If you wish to donate, please visit our Fundraising page and go to “Donations” in the drop-down menu. Here, you will see the various ways to donate. Thank you so much!

William Fogg Library’s 2014

Summer Reading Program

“Fizz, Boom, Read!”

Children of all ages are invited to join the summer reading program, “Fizz, Boom, Read!” This is an individualized program designed to keep children reading and learning all summer long. We have separate reading logs for pre-readers, independents readers and middle schoolers. We’ve scheduled a variety of activities that explore all kinds of science topics throughout the summer including story times, crafts, experiments, messy art and nature exploration. There are incentives and prizes for everyone who participates. Sign up starts on Monday, June 16 and the reading program runs until August 16.

Click here to view our Kent Room Summer Newsletter

Our New Website Launched!

The William Fogg Library is proud to announce a newly redesigned website with creative writing and content development from Kent Creative of Dover, NH and website design by Amber Wave Media of Stratham, NH.