Laconia Public Library

Work & Study Amenities

• Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible entrance, Wheelchair accessible parking lot

About Laconia Public Library

At the 1878 town meeting, Laconia's voters raised $1,500 to establish a public library. This library opened in 1879 in a rented room in The Folsom Block. Ten years later it moved to the Laconia National Bank Building; then to the basement of the Unitarian church until the present building was ready. Napoleon Bonaparte Gale, a local banker, died in 1894. He was kind-hearted, generous, enterprising and greatly respected. He left the bulk of his fortune to the City of Laconia for a park and a public library building. Land was purchased and the building was under construction from 1901 to 1903. It was dedicated in June 1903. The Gale Memorial Building houses the Laconia Public Library and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.