The Woods Hole Library began as the Woods Hole Social Library in 1875 and was housed in various locations in the village until 1913 when it moved into its new fieldstone building on Woods Hole Road. In 1952 an addition doubled the library’s original size. The Woods Hole Historical Collection Committee was formed in 1974 to establish a museum and archives in the Bradley House adjacent to the Library. The library received a generous bequest from the estate of Thomas G. Ratcliffe in 1981 that established a library endowment. In 1989-90 the Library building was completely renovated and made handicapped accessible. A two level addition to the building provided space for a separate children’s room on the upper level, and on the lower level a small room that houses the Thomas G. Ratcliffe Theatre Collection.
