Description of Historic Place

The former Hunter River Library building is a plain one-and-one-half storey wood framed structure with wood shingle cladding. It is located along the highway near the mill pond and the Presbyterian Church in the Village of Hunter River.

Heritage Value

The building is valued as an example of a former village library in Prince Edward Island. Funding for a library system in PEI began in 1933 with support from the Carnegie endowment. The Hunter River branch opened in 1936 under the organization of Nora Bateson. The first library custodian was Dorothy Cutcliffe.

Initially, the library was located in the home of a local merchant. Eventually, by 1939, a site adjacent to the Presbyterian Church was acquired and the current building was hauled to the site. Each year, further improvements to the property were made by landscaping and planting gardens. Much of this work was accomplished by the efforts of the local branch of the Women's Institute. At one point in its history, it won a PEI Rural Beautification Award.

The library also served as a place of remembrance for the war dead of Hunter River. The Honour Roll of those who sacrificed their lives, as well as photographs of the soldiers, were put on display in the building.

In the early 1990s, the library was moved to the Hunter River Municipal Building. It then was used as commercial space for a florist shop and craft shop. It is currently vacant.

As a reminder of the significance of the early public library system in PEI, the building remains an important landmark.

Source: Culture and Heritage Division, PEI Department of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
File #: 4310-20/H10

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the building is shown in the following character-defining elements:

- the one-and-one-half storey wood framed construction
- the gable roof with eave returns
- the wood shingle cladding
- the fenestration of the windows and door