The Dr. Frank Morse Memorial Library
The library has been built by Mrs. Marjorie
Morse, widow of Dr. Frank Morse, as a way of
remembering the Morse line of doctors, but in
particular, her husband who served the area for
forty-seven years as a medical doctor and as an
active community member. Mrs. Morse looked for an
idea to create a lasting memorial to him and when
she realized the current library was outdated in
terms of provincial regulation size, she decided
to give the gift of the library to the village
and its greater community.
Dr. Frank Morse served as a family physician
and surgeon and was 4th in line of Doctors Morse
and the last to practice in the village. Dr. Morse
has children, two of whom are also doctors
practicing in Lunenburg and in New Jersey.
Planning for the new library by the family
began in 2000, not long after Dr. Morse's death
in December 1999. The Official Opening on Aug. 29,
2002 occurred on what would have been Dr. Morse's
89th birthday.
Dr. Frank Morse was a voracious reader,
interested in local history, his church, schools,
hunting and fishing, and in painting. The display
case in the library contains some very
recognizable personal items pertaining to those
activities. The display case is designed to
feature items of local interest and will be
changed periodically.
Following Dr. Morse's retirement he began to
write his own book of memoirs which will be
published very soon, a fitting contribution to
the library.
The original Lawrencetown Library began
approximately in 1914 with its first collection
being housed in the Agricultural Demonstration
building at the west end of the village. It moved
to the upper story of the present Pharmasave and
then across the street to its present location.
That library was replaced and later a section was
added on to double its size, which is the library
the people use now.
The new Dr. Frank Morse Memorial Library will
quadruple the sq. footage of the size of the
current building. The building will be turned over
to the Village as a gift and will be operated
under the Annapolis Valley Regional Library
system. The library was entirely privately
funded.
The sod turning began the new library on May
9, 2002. The actual construction began on May
22, 2002.
The new library was built by some of the babies
Dr. Morse delivered:
- The General Contractor was B. Spicer
Construction Ltd., of Bridgetown.
- Local Valley Subtrade Contractors
- The Architect was Vincent DenHartog of
Wolfville. His Grandfather lived in
Lawrencetown and Vincent DenHartog came to visit
as a child. Presently his parents live here.
The new Dr. Frank Morse Memorial Library is
3000 sq ft and is designed with a potential for
6000 sq ft, using the second story, as required
by the village.
The new library consists of:
- an energy efficient design
- environmentally friendly products/air
quality
- a completely barrier free access
- little interior/exterior maintenance
- fully air-conditioned
- a community room for meetings, children's
activities, is fully accessible after hours
- a secure stack area while allowing
community room and washroom access
- a security system
- approximately 11,000 lbs of brand new
furniture and books
- all new computers for public use
The new library has been built with:
- insulated concrete form (ICF)
- operable windows on both floors
- in floor radiant heat
- diffused light from second story creates
indirect lighting with no glare, designed to use
mainly during daylight as opposed to artificial
light during most of the operating hours
- relatively new, no maintanance floor finish,
acid stain troweled concrete
It was important to have nearly all materials
and products supplied or manufactured in Nova
Scotia, including concrete, structural steel and
other metal work, roof trusses, windows, area
carpet, furniture, steel stacks, asphalt paving,
display case, cabinetry, etc.
The library was set to have been completed in
13 weeks, which has been essentially met. The
books will be moved over from the old library to
the new one by mid September.
The official opening was held on August 29,
2002 at 3PM.
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