The Nesmith Library collection was created with the assistance of Col. Thomas Nesmith and was housed in the Town Hall until 1899 when a field stone building was built by George W. Armstrong to house the library. See a digitized form of the Dedication Exercises of Armstrong Building January 4, 1899.
The original Reading Room in the Armstrong Building (later used as the Library Reference Room).
In 1978-1980 an addition was added to the rear of the building primarily to house the Children's collection and provide space for activities.
By the late 1990s the Nesmith Library was at bursting capacity with over 34,000 items in its collection, a high volume of check-outs, an active Children's program, and busy children and adult researchers. Recreational readers enjoyed our growing selection of fiction and magazines despite the cramped conditions. Events became limited as materials filled virtually all available space in the Children's room addition.
Longtime Windham residents fondly remember the days when the Nesmith Library was housed in the Armstrong Memorial Building!
The building program was approved at the 1996 Town Meeting after many years of planning. The new Nesmith Library building opened on August 28, 1997.
Unprecedented growth in the Town of Windham, has resulted in demand for materials and technology never dreamed of when the Library was established in the late 1800s. The Trustees and Staff of the Nesmith Library look forward to meeting the needs--informational, educational, cultural, and recreational--of all Windham residents, now, and for years to come.