Library

The Society's library contains many original materials useful for local historical research. There are numerous volumes of state and local history, a special collection of books on the Civil War, and an important collection of early school texts, many of them published in Hallowell.
There are several important series of diaries, including those of James Stackpole, which cover the years 1785 to 1820. Other series include the diaries of George Flood, covering 1860 to 1900; those of Miss Harriet Parmenter, covering 1888 to 1940; those of Miss Clara Costley, from 1912 to 1950; and the Keith diaries. Other manuscripts include a large number of account books from early businesses, records of early local physicians and a file of early letters and documents from and about local citizens.
The Society has a good collection of early local newspapers, including a fairly complete run of the weekly Waterville Mail from 1847 to 1906 (microfilmed in 1975-76 with the help of a grant from the Maine State Commision of the Arts and Humanities). Numerous early local maps, some of which are on display, and the extensive collection of early photographs of Waterville allow researchers to piece together an excellent visual history of the area.