Old Southworth Library has been a treasured feature of the historic village of Padanaram since John Haywood Southworth donated the building for public use in 1890.  Countless children and adults found its charming, book-lined interior to be a haven, providing culture, education, and entertainment. Even as the library expanded to a new location, Old Southworth Library continued its legacy of serving the public. Times have changed since 1890, but our need for a sense of place in our hometown remains strong.

Dartmouth Cultural Center seeks to preserve this community asset, now threatened by a plan to sell the building for private use. We aim to protect this place from such an inappropriate change. With your help we can lease the building from the town of Dartmouth--just as other civic groups have done in the past. Our goal is to preserve the building, maintain its long legacy as a public resource, and use it as a neighborhood community center for the arts. The Dartmouth Cultural Center would offer local residents an opportunity to enjoy small workshops, hear occasional lectures, and watch demonstrations, in an inviting intimate setting. Local artists, artisans, and historians would have opportunities to present these programs and to display their work, thereby enriching the quality of life for local residents.

But we cannot achieve these goals alone. Please click here to tell the select board that preserving the legacy of this historic place matters to you.

Click Here to Discover
the History of Olde Southworth

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