TIMELINE OF EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE HAYNES LIBRARY

• HAYNES LIBRARY, GOVERNORS HARBOUR, ELEUTHERA WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1897, BEING THE FIFTH LIBRARY IN THE BAHAMAS. THE ORDER WAS: NASSAU 1837, HARBOUR ISLAND 1854, MATTHEW TOWN & INAGUA 1856, GREEN TURTLE CAY & ABACO 1862.
• 1896 DECEMBER 3RD-MRS. W. BIRD, WIFE OF REVEREND W.A. BIRD OF THE WESLEY METHODIST CHURCH, LAID THE FOUNDATION STONE OF THE PUBLIC READING ROOM.
• 1896: THE LAST SESSION OF THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY IN NASSAU VOTED A GRANT TO THE INSTITUTE OF 250 POUNDS STERLING.
• 1897: FREE LABOR AND TWENTY-FIVE POUNDS STERLING WERE DONATED BY THE PEOPLE OF GOVERNORS HARBOR, TOWARDS THE ERECTION OF THE BUILDING.
• 1897:MARCH 5TH THE UPPER BALT-COURSELWAS FINISHED. THE BUILDING MEASURED 23 FEET HIGH FROM THE FOUNDATION. 1897: THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY VOTED 250 POUNDS STERLING FOR COMPLETION OF THE NEW
  BUILDING.
• 1897-NOVEMBER 11: GOVERNOR HAYNES SMITH VISITED GOVERNOR'S HARBOUR, ELEUTHERA. HE ARRIVED FROM NASSAU ON H.M.S. PARTRIDGE AT 7.30 P.M. A CEREMONY WAS HELD AT THE HAYNES LIBRARY, THE GOVERNOR STATING IN HIS SPEECH HIS ATTRACTION FOR GOVERNORS HARBOUR AND ITS PEOPLE. IN MANY SMALL WAYS HAYNES LIBRARY OPENED THE DOOR FOR PATRONS AND PAVED THE WAY FOR RESOURCES WE ENJOYED TODAY.
• 1898: ACCORDING TO THE GOVERNMENT BLUE BOOK OF 1898, GOVERNORS HARBOUR PUBLIC LIBRARY HAD 204 VOLUMES, 35 MEMBERS AND WAS SUPPORTED BY THE GOVERNMENT AND SUBSCRIPTIONS.
• 1920: THE LIBRARY NOW HAD 2090 VOLUMES, 20 MEMBERS AND AN ANNUAL GOVERNMENT GRANT OF 60 POUNDS STERLING.
• 1930s: HILLIARD CULMER OF SAVANNAH SOUND, ELEUTHERA, ADDED THE BUTTRESSES.
• 1949: THE LIBRARY HAD 30 VOLUMES, 18 MEMBERS AND A GOVERNMENT GRANT OF 52 POUNDS STERLING. THE LIBRARIAN ETHEL E. MCFARLAND RECEIVED A SALARY OF 30 POUNDS STARTING PER ANNUM.
• 1950: THE LIBRARY WAS MOVED UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS THEN BECAME THE COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE,
  THE BAHAMAS CUSTOMS AND POST OFFICE.
• 1969: THE LIBRARY WAS CONVERTED TO A RESIDENCE FOR AN ENGLISH ENGINEER, MR. CARRUTHERA EMPLOYED BY THE MINISTRY OF WORKS. MR. ASA BETHEL DID THE RENOVATION. THE LIBRARY WAS CLOSED AND THE BOOKS WERE STORED IN ABANDONED BUILDING ON CUPID'S CAY, ELEUTHERA. MANY BOOKS WERE DESTROYED.
• 1970s 1980s: DR. CLIFFORD BACCHUS, HIS WIFE OLGA AND THEIR AND FAMILY OCCUPIED THE HAYNES LIBRARY AS A HOME. DR. BACCHUS ALSO MAINTAINED HIS MEDICAL PRACTICE THERE.
• 1971-1972 :ARCHITECT DANIEL DAVIES AND HIS WIFE JEAN DAVIES OCCUPIED THE BUILDING.
• 1991: THE HAYNES LIBRARY WAS REOPENED WITH LIONEL FERNANDER AS LIBRARIAN. THE INTERNATIONAL BOOK PROJECT, LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY, DONATED BOOKS, AN OUTSIDE STAIRCASE WAS ADDED TO REPLACE THE INSIDE ONE AND THE UPSTAIRS FRONT PORCH WERE REMOVED.
• 1992: THE HAYNES LIBRARY WAS AGAIN CLOSED AND THE BUILDING WAS SLATED FOR DEMOLITION.
• 1994: FRIENDS OF LIBRARY WERE FORMED. THE COMMITTEE BEGAN FUNDRAISING AND SOON BEGAN RESTORATION AND RENOVATION OF THE BUILDING. INCLUSIVE OF: O ROOF REPLACED, ORIGINAL GINGER BREAD RESTORED SHUTTERS BUILT AND THE BUILDING WAS PAINTED O SHELVES WAS BUILT, UPGRADED ELECTRICITY, REPAIRED PLUMBING WINDOWS REPLACED DOWNSTAIRS.
• 1997: PRIVATE DONATION OF $15,000.00 MADE BY WINTER RESIDENT MR. LLOYD BABCOCK. READING ROOM WAS RESTORED SHELVES INSTALLED & PAINTED.
• 1997: ANNUAL GOVERNMENT GRANT OF 410,000 APPLIES FOR, RECEIVED AND USED FOR SALARIES.
• 1997: JUNE- THE BAHAMAS NATIONAL TRUST HONORED THE HAYNES LIBRARY WITH AN AWARD IN RECOGNITION OF THE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO THE PRESERVATION OF HISTORIC BUILDING IN THE BAHAMAS.
• 1997: DECEMBER NEW INTERIOR OAK STAIRCASE COMPLETED THANKS TO A DONATION BY MR.
  AUSTIN KNOWLES.
• 1999: SEPTEMBER 14TH-HURRICANE FLOYD HIT GOVERNOR'S HARBOUR, ELEUTHERA. BOOKS STORED WERE DESTROYED BY STORM SURGE
• 2000: ANNUAL GOVERNMENT GRANT INCREASED TO $15,000 APPLIED FOR, RECEIVED AND USED FOR SALARIES.
• 2001: COMPLETION OF COMPUTER AND RESOURCE CENTER ON THE SECOND FLOOR DONATED IN MEMORY OF ELIZABETH READ FROST.
• 2002: HAYNES LIBRARY CURRENTLY HAS OVER 200 MEMBERS LOCALLY AND AROUND THE WORLD.
  
• LIBRARIANS:
  ANNIE SMITH, RHONDA GARDINER. FLORA BETHEL, EMMA BETHEL, MYRNA MOSS, SAMUEL PINDER: 1950s, ETHEL McFARLAND: 1949-1952, BRENDA JOHNSONE 1952-1956, ANN ADAIR: 1953- 1954, NORMA JOHNSON:1956-1957, ALICE GRIFFIN: 1960-1969, ANN ADAIR:1971-1991, LIONEL FERNANDER 1991-1992, ROSALIND SEYFERT 1996-2018, ALTHEA WILLIE 2001-PRESENT & TYEKIA MOSS:2001-PRESENT.