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In 1801 the "Social Library of Sunderland" organization was formed. Those wishing to borrow books would pay a small fee, a practice that was abandoned in 1878. For the next 97 years the library was housed in a wide range of locations, from member's homes to the general store. By 1896 the ever-expanding library had moved to the Old Town Hall, but it became clear that a new, permanent building was needed. In 1898, John L. Graves, a former Sunderland resident, agreed to pay for a new library. Two years later it was built.
Note: The Allen Brothers of Amherst designed the library. It is in the asymmetrical Tudor Revival style that was popular in Western Massachusetts at the turn of the century.