The small, handsomely detailed 129-year-old building that housed the West Tisbury Free Public Library for a full century was purchased from the town this week by the Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust.

 

With its mahogany trim and mansard roof, the two-story, 600-square-foot former town library will now be restored and returned  to active community use. The building is tucked along Music street near the West Tisbury town center.

 

With $300,000 cash and the unified support of town leaders and residents, the Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust today purchases the old agricultural hall on State Road in West Tisbury.

 

The deal, which had been expected for several months, allows the Edgartown-based trust to acquire the 138-year-old hall from the town and begin restoration work.

 

Once considered on of the Island’s most important and recognizable buildings, the hall now suffers from considerable disrepair and is no longer a center of local activity.

 

The trustees of the two-year-old Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Society have begun a campaign - low-key, by mail - for funds and something besides.

 

“At the moment we are preparing a federal tax exemption application requesting tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service,” says a letter signed by trustees Paul R. Anderson and C. Stuart Avery. “In making this request we are anxious to show the Internal Revenue Service that what started out as an interest of a group of people does have public support and is likely to continue to do  so.”

 

The Daniel Fisher House, a highly regarded historic Federal house on Main street in Edgartown, will undergo significant renovations in the coming weeks. 

 

In addition to the roof being re-shingled with thick red cedar shingles, the chimney tops will be taken down and rebuilt. New ornamental woodwork that hasn’t been seen on the building for years will be installed. The ornamental trim that ran around the eaves of the roof and dates back to the house’s origin already was removed by crane last month. 

 

The Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust formally took ownership of Alley’s General Store yesterday, ushering in the beginning of a new era for the renowned Dealers in Almost Everything in the heart of West Tisbury.

 

The proposed merger of the North Water Street Corporation with the Vineyard Historical Preservation Society moved several steps nearer at the annual North Water street stockholders and directors meeting yesterday.

 

The trustees of Edgartown’s stately, pillared Methodist Church have voted to transfer ownership of the building to the Martha’s Vineyard Historical Preservation Society. The gift of the 137-year-old church of whaling days ends years of struggle by the small congregation to keep the building, and opens the way to the creation of the largest year-round auditorium on the Island.