E.B. White library garden to be redesigned

Friend Memorial Library will reset its ‘Circle of Friends,’ with additional personalized bricks now available to donors

June 5, 2026

By Staff

The garden project is happening as the Brooklin-based library begins a $4 million addition.

BROOKLIN–The reading garden at Friend Memorial Public Library, originally created in 1997 and dedicated to Katharine White and E.B. White, will undergo a redesign in the coming months as part of improvements tied to the library's growth and accessibility needs, according to a press release..

A central feature of the garden, the brick-paved “Circle of Friends”, will be dismantled and rebuilt as part of the project. Library officials said the existing bricks will be cleaned and reused in prominent locations throughout the redesigned space, including around a planned pavilion.

The garden's existing plantings and donated benches will remain in place.

The project is intended to improve access to the library for all patrons. Landscapers will raise the grade beneath the current brick circle and install improved drainage systems. New pathways connecting the parking lot and library building will be designed to meet accessibility and safety requirements.

Once the site work is complete, the library plans to install a new Circle of Friends featuring engraved bricks. Community members will have an opportunity to purchase personalized bricks through the end of the year.

For $35, supporters can order bricks engraved with their names, family names, favorite quotations, or even the names of beloved pets or boats. The engraved bricks will become a permanent part of the new Circle of Friends Garden.

Library officials said the fundraising effort will help create a lasting tribute to the people and stories that have shaped the Castine community while supporting improvements to the library grounds for future generations.

The library is currently undergoing a $4 million expansion. The expansion includes the construction of the Anne and Maynard Bray Maritime Research Center, which will allow direct public access to Jon Wilson's comprehensive marine research library and Benjamin Mendlowitz's award-winning maritime photography, making it “one of the nation's premiere private collections of materials focused on wooden boat design, construction, operation, and history,” according to the library.

The library has set up an online form for those who wish to purchase a brick.