History
Newington’s town library is called Langdon Library with good reason. Woodbury Langdon–not to be confused with Woodbury Langdon (1739-1805)–played a giant role in establishing this library for the public good. Here’s a brief timeline, culled from the book Newington, New Hampshire; A Heritage of Independence Since 1630 (Rowe, 1987):
First, on December 1, 1797, a petition for incorporation of the Newington Social Library was submitted by Ephraim Pickering and granted by the New Hampshire legislature. In 1805, the Newington Social Library was formally incorporated.
But it wasn’t until 1890, when Woodbury Langdon offered to donate 2,000 books on the condition that “suitable provision be made for the care and circulation of the books,” that the bricks and mortar of this building began to come together.
In 1892, the Langdon Library trustees were elected: Valentine M. Coleman, Frederick Pickering, and Eldora A. Pickering (replacing John Furber, who died shortly after election). At town meeting, a motion was carried to erect a building for the library and a building committee was then established: Jackson M. Hoyt, John M. Moulton, Cyrus Frink II, James W. Coleman, and Joseph S. Hoyt. A sum of $2500 was appropriated. Lumber from the Town Forest was sold to help finance the construction; however, as construction costs are wont to do, they exceeded town appropriation. Of course, it was Woodbury Langdon who rode to the rescue, establishing a trust of $1,000 to cover the shortfall and provide annual interest dividends to the library trustees from then onward.
On September 20, 1893, the library was formally dedicated.
On the 20th anniversary of the dedication in 1913, Mr. Langdon financed the addition onto the rear of the library and presented a bond to allow the library to be open an additional afternoon each week.
He even provided for the library after his death, as Langdon’s will left $10,000 to the library, and in 1945 the library received $25,000 from the estate of the late Mrs. Woodbury Langdon.
Librarians, Past and Present:
2007-Present D. Scott Campbell
2001-2007 Becky Marks
1987-2000 Duane Shaffer
1960-1987 Marjorie Pickering
1953-1960 Cecilia Bullock
1920-1953 Hattie Greenough
1918-1920 Pauline Knox
1904-1918 Annie Louise Beane
1898-1904 Lydia S. Coleman
1893-1898 Faith Staples