Our Story

The Hiram Cultural Center (HCC) is a merger of Soldiers Memorial Library and the Arts Center at 8 Hancock. How did the Hiram Cultural Center come to be? Three factors aligned!

First, the church next to the library donated its building to the Friends of Soldiers Memorial Library (FoSML), a nonprofit created to enhance the library's charitable work. That former church would become The Arts Center at 8 Hancock. Second, the board of the library and others began discussions about how to economically revitalize Hiram Village, utilizing its amazing resources such as the Historical Society, Community Center and Library; access to the Saco River and Mt. Cutler; community conscious businesses; and an active citizenry. Third and finally, the town's auditors recommended the town follow the path of many other Maine towns and enable the library to operate independently, while providing on-going, financial support to the important library resource townspeople have relied on since 1915.

The result: Since January 1, 2021, The Hiram Cultural Center is official! The new nonprofit, which now operates in two adjacent buildings - the library and the arts center - is committed to boosting Hiram's liveliness and attractiveness to long-time and new-coming families by providing entertainment, education and cultural enrichment for all ages.

The HCC is incredibly fortunate to have a loyal team of energetic volunteers. They plan and direct programming and fundraisers, including the annual BBB event, a fall bulb sale, sale of lunches at the annual Hiram Town Meeting, and other catering events. Proceeds from these plus the $3,000+ donated by year-round and summer residents of Hiram during an annual membership campaign provides more than $5,500 for the HCC's programs. Thank you, volunteers and supporters!