Gale Free Library

The Damon Memorial building, which is the home of the Gale Free Library, was the gift of Samuel C. Gale and his wife, Susan Damon Gale. Mr. Gale had been a teacher at the Holden Center School. The building was named in honor of Mrs. Gale’s family, the Damons, who had been active members of the Holden community for many years. The Gale Free Library was named in memory of Mr. Gale’s family. The Damon Memorial building was dedicated on August 29, 1888, and the Trustees still function under the original deed of gift. The original building is constructed of locally quarried granite, with brown sandstone from Longmeadow, Massachusetts added for the sills, lintels, and arches. Black slate from Maine was used on the roof and red slate on the tower roof.

Today the building lies within the Holden Center Historic District and is listed also in the National Register of Historic Places.