Category: Museum
Books, Law, Land, Generosity
Levi Merrick Stewart (1827-1910) was born, raised and attended grade school in Corinna, Maine. In 1856 he moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota where he made his fortune as a real estate lawyer. A noted philanthropist, Stewart built the Stewart Library Building in Corinna as a memorial to his parents.
An avid book collector, Mr. Stewart amassed a personal library of over 6,500 volumes. Upon his death in 1910, the collection was moved to Corinna and placed in the Levi M. Stewart Private Library room in the building. A newly developed museum, based on the collection will soon be open to the public.
The private library includes a significant non-fiction collection; books on Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon, the Civil War, many other military and political histories and biographies. There is a large collection of law books. There are geographies, travel books with maps and drawings, volumes on science and practical knowledge. Mr. Stewart’s taste also ran to British and American classical and contemporary literature of the time. The books will not be circulated to the public. Visitors may view selected volumes, artifacts, photographs, and historical display panels
The mission of the Stewart Private library Museum: To collect, document, preserve, interpret, and disseminate knowledge of Levi M. Stewart, his personal library collection, his gift of the Stewart Library Building to Corinna, his philanthropy, and his role in the nineteenth century migration from Maine to Minnesota, to provide an educational and cultural experience for the public, and a resource for researchers.
This project is intended to serve the residents of the town of Corinna and visitors to the community. The young people of the community are an audience of particular importance to the project. Levi Stewart’s story is relevant today when many young people are leaving small towns in Maine to seek their futures elsewhere. We believed that exposure to the collection, exhibits, and history of Levi M. Stewart will build an appreciation for the history of the community and inspire the next generations to care for the building and the collection into the future.
Progress- Levi Stewart Museum
The Private Library Museum project is coming along. Of all the work done on the Stewart Library Building this has been the most complex, requiring many decisions along the way. We hope to see the construction and display portion complete and open to the public in a few months.
This photo above is a panorama of the museum side of the Private Library room. You can see the three new display cases, the glass divider, and part of the book collection. Some books and artifacts will be on display to the public in the cases.
The two, tall bookcases on the other side of the room originally had doors, but they were removed many years ago. We found two of them in the basement, still usable. Although the rest of the doors were found, most of them had deteriorated and could not be salvaged for use. Nickerson & O’Day had Holden Cabinet and Millwork build four new doors to match the originals that could be used.
In this photo you can see the workers from AD&W installing new tempered glass in the original doors. The newly constructed doors are behind them on the other bookcase, with glass already installed.
It turned out that before the doors could be installed some work was needed on that bookcase itself. Over the years it had tilted to one side and was no longer square. The books were in the way and had to me removed from the shelves. Workers straightened the bookcase and put in shelf supports and installed the doors. The books will be replaced soon.
The doors will protect the books but the large glass openings will allow visitors to see the collection.
Volunteers are working with Candace Kanes, an independent historian, and Brewster Buttfield, a museum exhibit designer from Prospect Design in Portland to develop and set up the displays in the cases. Here you can see Jim Louder and Donna Lambert working with Ms. Kanes to test the fit of a book in a display drawer.
The displays will use selected books, photographs, and artifacts to tell the story of Levi Stewart, his family, the building, and the collection. The displays will also include graphic panels with text and pictures.
This project is funded through grants from The National Trust for Historic Preservation – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund for Historic Interiors, The Maine Humanities Council, The National Historical Publications and Records Commission – Historical Collections Grant Program, and by contributions from Carl and Linda Smith, Eric and Laura Smith, and other donors committed to the preservation of the Levi M. Stewart legacy.
Private Library Project
Levi Merrick Stewart (1827-1910) was born, raised and attended grade school in Corinna, Maine. In 1856 he moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota where he made his fortune as a real estate lawyer. A noted philanthropist, Stewart built the Stewart Library Building in Corinna as a memorial to his parents.
An avid book collector, Mr. Stewart amassed a personal library of over 6,500 volumes. Upon his death in 1910, the collection was moved to Corinna and placed in the Levi M. Stewart Private Library room in the building. The uncirculated collection, which is not open to the public, is still housed there today.
The private library includes a significant non-fiction collection; books on Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon, the Civil War, many other military and political histories and biographies. There is a large collection of law books. There are geographies, travel books with maps and drawings, volumes on science and practical knowledge. Mr. Stewart’s taste also ran to British and American classical and contemporary literature of the time.
The Levi M. Stewart Private Library Project has two goals:
1. To develop museum-quality exhibits within the space to tell the story of Levi M. Stewart, his personal library, his philanthropy, and the Stewart Library Building.
2. To make this significant local resource accessible to researchers and the public for the first time in a fashion that secures and preserves the collection.
This project is intended to serve the residents of the town of Corinna and visitors to the community. The young people of the community are an audience of particular importance to the project. Levi Stewart’s story is relevant today when many young people are leaving small towns in Maine to seek their futures elsewhere. We believed that exposure to the collection, exhibits, and history of Levi M. Stewart will build an appreciation for the history of the community and inspire the next generations to care for the building and the collection into the future.
This project is funded entirely through grants from The National Trust for Historic Preservation – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund for Historic Interiors, The Maine Humanities Council, The National Historical Publications and Records Commission – Historical Collections Grant Program, and by contributions from Carl and Linda Smith, Eric and Laura Smith, and other donors committed to the preservation of the Levi M. Stewart legacy.