The Evolution of Belhaven Public Library

The town of Belhaven has had a public library since 1931.  In the beginning there were several locations for the library; a room in City Hall, then a building on Main Street owned by Mr. O'Neal, then a location above Roses Store and then the Guaranty Bank Building.

On Monday, March 27, 1937, a group of citizens of Belhaven met in the Parish House to organize a Public Library Association. A constitution and By-Laws for the newly formed "Public Library Association of Belhaven" were adopted.

In the beginning the library was open three afternoons a week from 3:00 to 5:00. In August, 1938, Sarah Wahab was employed under the National Youth Administration Supervision and the library was thus able to open every morning.

By this time the Association was anxious to find a suitable location to build a library. Finally, in 1948, property for the library was acquired on the north side of Main Street, adjoining the Guaranty Bank & Trust building. The lot measured 100 feet deep by 50 feet wide.

The library was incorporated January 7, 1949 as Belhaven Public Library, Inc. Cora Bundy was chairman, Fanny Ralph secretary, and Carolyn Connor Lloyd treasurer.

A 900 square foot building with an unfinished attic was completed in 1952. The interior was paneled with knotty pine and featured a large fireplace and two bay windows. The Fannie Mebane Ralph Library was dedicated in October, 1952.  A portrait of Mrs. Ralph painted by Mrs. W. E. Bateman, Jr. was presented at that time to be hung in the library.

This library served its patrons well for the next 35 years. However, more space was needed as more services were added.  In 1988 the library board decided to finish the unused attic space. Shorthly after, Mrs. Pearl Potter who died in 1989 left the library a bequest of $311,000.00.  The Board used part of the money to add a stairway and finish the attic space, which added about 400 square feet. The remaining money was invested with the understanding that the principle would remain, while the interest would be used for running the library.  The Library Board Treasurer invests the principle amount and neither the Town of Belhaven nor BHM has any control over the funds.  The most significant change was in expansion of library hours, which went from 9 hours a week to 36 hours a week. 

In 1992 the James Ambrose property, adjacent to the library on the east, was purchased to be used for future expansion.

The Culmination of Nine Years of Persistence

On November 5, 2001 a new $526,000 (debt free) state of the art Library was opened to the public. In preparation for the new project, the library moved to a temporary location on Highway 264 By-Pass in August of 2000. In February 2001 the construction for the new facility was begun and the new building was complete in November. The new building has 4000 square feet of multi-use space. There is a screened porch with rocking chairs for use during warm weather. There is a small community room used for programs and small group meetings. This area has been named the Pearl Potter Room to honor her memory and to show appreciation for her generosity to the library. There is a portrait of Fannie Mebane Ralph displayed in the main library area to honor the Ralph family for their early dedication to establishing a library and for their continued support. The main area has many stacks to hold a large collection of books including research materials, best sellers, new releases, general reading, audio books, books on CD, videos and there is a comfortable area for reading newspapers and magazines. There is also a "Trading Post" for travelers who need a paperback that does not have to be returned. The children's area has a dedicated computer with educational programs that were donated by the Beaufort County Partnership for Children. The area also has games, puzzles and multi-level reading material. In the center of the library is a corral of computers wired for Internet and general use. The upper mezzanine has a table and chairs for work space and a computer for word processing. The Civil War book collection of the late Edwin O'Neal is housed on this level. Over all, the library provides a tranquil place to enjoy a book, a friend and a moment to dream! The library is open Monday through Friday, 9:30 to 5:30 and Saturday 10:00 to 1:00.

Services Available

Landmark audiobook lease plan

McNaughton book lease plan

Online circulation system

Computerized catalog and reference materials

Internet and E-Mail

Computers (Bill and Melinda Gates Grant) 3 adult and 1 child

Foreign Languae selection (concentrating on Spanish)

N.C. Foreign Language Center (Housed in the Cumberland County Library).

N.C. State Library (video collection / service to the visually and physically impaired readers) Department of Cultura Resources.

Trading Post

Interlibrary loans from other libraries in the state or country (Fee)

Children's Storytimes (September through May)

Summer Reading Program (children)

Adult library programs

Federal and North Carolina tax forms

All copies 15¢

Rotating book and Video collection