Provincetown Schools

Founded in 1873 by Nathan Freeman, today, the Library's collection of 30,000+ volumes fills three floors, and the Library offers both traditional print resources and state of the art high speed internet access and databases. The Library opened its doors at the New Library in Spring 2006 at 356 Commercial Street. The Library retains the Heritage Museum collection's model of the Rose Dorothea, a half-scale model of a Grand Banks Fishing Schooner in its Children's Room as well as the historic grand entrance staircases and magnificent vaulted ceiling. A 62-foot-long half-scale model of a Grand Banks fishing schooner, the Rose Dorothea is built into the building's Second Floor and extends upward to the historic vaulted ceiling. In 1907, the Rose won the Boston-Gloucester Fisherman's Race that began in Provincetown, and was awarded the coveted Lipton Cup. The model is a tribute to the Town's nautical past and a work of countless hours of volunteer time from 15 local fishermen and craftsmen. It represents an historic period in Provincetown's rich history. The Children's Library has been designed to encircle the model, which is being used as a teaching tool. As the Library continues to raise funds to complete the restoration of this magnificent building and expand into the Lower Level, the Library is open seven days a week, year-round serving students, scholars, general readers and visitors.