Williams House

This beautiful 19th-century Federalist building, equipped with a contemporary full kitchen and bath and located on a large lot directly across from the library was acquired in 2012.  We are thrilled to have this great space for programs, book sales, exhibits, seasonal activities, First Saturday events, social gatherings, and a rental space option for the community.  The Williams House also provides us with much-needed storage and parking space. 

Repairs, renovations, and fantastic landscaping are just the beginning of the changes to the Williams House: a sterling addition to our library offerings. Check out our calendar to see what’s happening!

Williams House
14 Old Winthrop Road
Wayne, ME

207-685-9550

The Williams House.

The library holds used book sales at the Williams House seasonally.  Contact us for the date of the next sale.  We welcome donations in good condition.  Children’s books are especially welcome.  We cannot accept old textbooks, Reader’s Digest Condensed, or books in poor condition.

First Saturdays at the Williams House

Visit the Williams House at Cary Memorial Library, Wayne, Maine.

BOOK SALE * BOUTIQUE * BREAKFAST
9 am to Noon on the first Saturday of the Month

Delicious brunch offerings include quiches, scones, and cinnamon buns.  GF option is available.

New titles are always being added to the used books and media selections, new boutique items as well as, china and jewelry. 

Hope you’ll stop by and visit with your neighbors, and new friends as you browse our unique collection all at bargain prices.  All proceeds benefit the library. 

Quiche and scones.

Interested in renting space at the Williams House?  

Williams House sign.

The Williams House is currently open by appointment for anyone wishing to browse Boutique items, or the 3 rooms of books for sale, $1.00 hardcover/50 cents paperbacks. Call Holly at 207-685-9005 or Cindy at 207-685-4235.

We are happy to open up for you!    The Alice in Wonderland Room is also open by appointment and will be open on First Saturdays.  Programming and rentals are available.

Check Williams House rental information.

Williams House Through the Seasons

Williams House in winter.
Williams House in summer.
Williams House in summer.
Williams House in autumn.
Williams House collage.

The Alice Project – A Wayne Treasure

Alice in Wonderland Room is open by appointment and during First Saturdays.  

We had a grand celebration to Welcome Back Alice and to wish Happy Birthday to Grace Burleigh in June 2020, the generous donor of the Alice in Wonderland Room. Grace attended and many wished her a Happy 100th birthday!

Progress has been made in the ongoing Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Room project. The art panel depicting Alice has completed the conservation steps and is back in Wayne. The refreshed, restored, and protected Alice will appear at the Open House. Alice is the first of 17 panels to be conserved.

The funding campaign is underway; we are grateful for the generous initial results and for the first four grants filed for consideration. Construction tasks at the carriage barn have started with more visible activity to appear soon.

As part of the exciting project to recreate the Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Room at the Williams House carriage barn, Jann Haynes Gilmore, a member of the Mad Hatters Committee and formerly on the staff of the National Endowment for the Humanities, spent the winter researching and writing a 65-page book on the Alice phenomenon in cultural history. Of keen interest is the detailed account of how the Alice Room and its artist, Alfred T. Merian, came to Wayne, Maine. The limited edition book will be available for purchase at $20.00 beginning in early June at the Cary Library and the Williams House with all proceeds going to the Alice project. Jann is a well-known Wayne summer resident and her scores of paintings of Wayne homes, sites and scenes grace the walls of many local families’ homes.
If you would like further information, please contact Holly Stevenson (hollystv@hotmail.com) or stop by the Library.

Celebrating Grace Burleigh's birthday.
Grace Burleigh
Alice, in the Alice Room.
The Alice Panel
The Alice Room.
The Alice Room
The Alice panel during restoration.
The Alice Panel under restoration