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| View of the main entrance of the library today. The library is next to Menlo Pool in Perkasie. | The busy circulation desk at the Samuel Pierce Branch |
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| View of the main entrance of the library today. The library is next to Menlo Pool in Perkasie. | The busy circulation desk at the Samuel Pierce Branch |
GEHMAN SCHOOL HOUSE - Telegraph Road & Route 113, Hilltown, PA
Samuel Pierce, founded the library in 1955. He assumed all operating expenses in the former one-room Gehman school house on Route 113. After the library outgrew this building, it moved to the former Fraternity Temple building in 1970. Note that Samuel Pierce died in 1994; he never owned the Gehman building.
All books were checked out by hand and the library relied on volunteers to run the daily operation.
FRATERNITY TEMPLE - 109 South Sixth Street, Perkasie, PA
The new library building at 109 South Sixth Street was purchased by the Bucks County Commissioners in 1970. For more than 20 years this building had provided a home to 24 different organizations. In 1946 the Hartzel-Crouthamel Post No. 280 American Legion purchased the property and developed the building for a community center (see pictures on district court pages). Various service clubs and civic organizations used these facilities for business programs and dinner meetings. In the 1960's the Lemmon Pharmacal Company used the building as a laboratory and packaging company.
The building was erected in 1922 and had a cornerstone which was opened in 1970. Some of the items found in the cornerstone box were a Bible, the American Flag, odd coins, and a 1922 dated silver dollar.
CURRENT LOCATION - 491 Arthur Avenue, Perkasie, PA
| The building is located on the grounds of the former Menlo Park amusement park. The building was built with funds raised by the Pennridge community. The Samuel Pierce Branch of the Bucks County Free Library building was dedicated on November 13, 1988. |  |
The open beam design of the Arthur Avenue building has advantages and disadvantages. The design exposes the beams and utilities such as air ducts (maroon in photo at upper right). The facility is bright and welcoming. But the open design makes it difficult to run additional systems (such as new electrical lines for more computers). The open design also amplifies noise.
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LIBRARY NETWORK & MATERIALS
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The automated Bucks County Network includes seven branches of the Bucks County Free Library, eleven community libraries, the Bucks County Community College, and the County Law Library. Borrowers must have a network card and the loan period varies depending on the type of material. Today books, audio cassettes, compact discs, magazines, video cassettes, and DVD's may be loaned from the library. |
STAFF & SERVICES TODAY
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Staff members are paid by Bucks County. A branch manager, children's librarian, reference librarian and other full and part-time library staff are members employed at the Samuel Pierce Branch. Research librarians provide assistance in searching for specific materials within the Bucks County Network and Access Pennsylvania (the statewide network of libraries). Book discussion groups, books for the homebound, story times for toddlers through school age, and summer programs such as the Summer Reading Club are facilitated by the staff and volunteers. |
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VOLUNTEERS TODAY
Many volunteers are needed to run the special events and programs of the library. The Friends of the Samuel Pierce Branch, Bucks County Library, run a thrift shop and annual used book sale, sponsor children's book readings, the annual authors and artists luncheon, and provide volunteers to work in the library. The Friends make a generous donation for library materials four times a year and have purchased computers for use by young children and their parents.
