Levi Merrick Stewart (1827-1910) was born, raised and attended grade school in Corinna, Maine. In 1856 he moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota where he made his fortune as a real estate lawyer. A noted philanthropist, Stewart built the Stewart Library Building in Corinna as a memorial to his parents.
An avid book collector, Mr. Stewart amassed a personal library of over 6,500 volumes. Upon his death in 1910, the collection was moved to Corinna and placed in the Levi M. Stewart Private Library room in the building. A newly developed museum, based on the collection will soon be open to the public.
The private library includes a significant non-fiction collection; books on Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon, the Civil War, many other military and political histories and biographies. There is a large collection of law books. There are geographies, travel books with maps and drawings, volumes on science and practical knowledge. Mr. Stewart’s taste also ran to British and American classical and contemporary literature of the time. The books will not be circulated to the public. Visitors may view selected volumes, artifacts, photographs, and historical display panels
The mission of the Stewart Private library Museum: To collect, document, preserve, interpret, and disseminate knowledge of Levi M. Stewart, his personal library collection, his gift of the Stewart Library Building to Corinna, his philanthropy, and his role in the nineteenth century migration from Maine to Minnesota, to provide an educational and cultural experience for the public, and a resource for researchers.
This project is intended to serve the residents of the town of Corinna and visitors to the community. The young people of the community are an audience of particular importance to the project. Levi Stewart’s story is relevant today when many young people are leaving small towns in Maine to seek their futures elsewhere. We believed that exposure to the collection, exhibits, and history of Levi M. Stewart will build an appreciation for the history of the community and inspire the next generations to care for the building and the collection into the future.