Name/Title
Henry D. Moore Parish House and Library | Steuben, MaineDescription
From Henry D. Moore Parish House and Library National Register Nomination Form:
Erected in 1911 from designs by the Philadelphia architect Isaac Parsell, the Henry D. Moore Parish House and Library is a two-story, hip roofed frame building that is sheathed in clapboards. It was given to the town by Steuben native Henry D. Moore, who was a successful businessman and financier in New York and New Jersey. The building is eligible for nomination to the National Register under Criterion A for its association with the community’s social history, and Criterion C for its local architectural significance.
Initially settled in 1759-60, and incorporated in 1795, the Town of Steuben’s residents were, according to George Varney’s 1881 profile of the town, chiefly engaged in seafaring, farming and lumbering. Historically, its population peaked in 1860 when the census enumerated 1,191 persons, but by 1910 this figure had declined to 890.
Among those who were bom in Steuben but left to pursue their careers elsewhere was Henry Dyer Moore (1842-1930). After his service as a corporal in the 2nd Maine Cavalry, Moore went to work as a bookkeeper with W.E.Garrett and Sons of Philadelphia, a manufacturer of snuff. In 1893, Moore bought the business, and over the next eighteen year she was closely associated with the development of the American Snuff Co. During this period he also financed the construction of the 160 mile Montana Railroad, and his biographies in the National Cyclopedia of American Biography and Leading Philadelphia Firms and Institutions make reference to numerous other business ventures in which he was involved.
Moore’s gift of a memorial building to his native town illustrates a common pattern of philanthropy in the period from the late nineteenth century up to the Great Depression. In Maine, such donations were frequently made through library buildings, although in some cases - as in Steuben - a multi-purpose facility that included a library and community meeting space was provided. The Henry D. Moore Parish House and Library includes a large assembly room, completely furnished kitchen, and a classroom on the first floor, whereas the second floor contains the library and reading rooms, as well as two rooms that house the historical society. There is also a single lane bowling alley in the basement. Testimony to the building’s importance as a community social center is contained in a letter dated December 26,1911, to Henry Moore from his cousin (and the first librarian) Susie Moore, in which she wrote:
I wish you could look in on us here, sometimes when there are things going on in different parts of the Parish House, some reading, some getting books, others playing in the game roof or basement, you would see what a centre of life this place is, to the people.
The building continues to serve in its original capacity.
Although modest in design, the Parish House and Library is distinguished in the local building context by its hip roof with broad eaves supported by exposed rafters, the asymmetry of its fenestration pattern on the facade, and the flared eaves of its entrance portico. It stands in marked contrast to the nearby Greek Revival style Steuben Union Church with its projecting portico and three stage tower. Little is known about the building’s architect, except that information on file at the Parish House and Library indicate that his offices were located at 119 S. 4th St., Philadelphia, Permsylvania. This is Isaac Parsell’s only known commission in Maine.