The Sarah Sargent Paine Memorial Library served the village of Painesdale for sixty years. Constructed between 1902 and 1903 of Jacobsville sandstone, the building featured a combination of library facilities and public gathering spaces. Those who were native English speakers and those who were more comfortable in other languages could each find ample reading material on the first floor; children delighted in a wide variety of juvenile literature and window seats in a space designated just for them. The building also offered club rooms, an auditorium on the second story, baths, kitchen facilities, and dining areas.

Designed by architect Alexander Chadbourne Eschweiler and constructed by contractors Prendergast and Clarkson, the Jacobean Revival library took its name from that of William Paine’s mother. Paine, the president of the booming Copper Range Consolidated Company, had already lent his name to the town in which the library was built; with Sarah Sargent Paine now the namesake of one of its most cherished institutions, the Paine family’s influence on Painesdale deepened.

The library sat adjacent to Jeffers High School and proved popular with both community members and students alike. Unfortunately, the cherished building declined alongside the fortunes of Copper Range. In 1962, the foundation of the building was found to be unstable, and the Sarah Sargent Paine Memorial Library was condemned. Final demolition followed in 1965.