The Steep Falls Library was built in 1916 and opened in 1917 as the Pierce Memorial Library. It was funded by Henry Pierce of San Francisco, who was a native of Steep Falls. A daughter of Henry's brother Marshall, Henrietta Pierce Watkinson of Baldwin Maine was instrumental in having the building constructed and oversaw the original construction. She also funded the "annex" addition in 1925. Today the library operates in part with trust funds set aside by Henry Pierce and by Henrietta Pierce Watkinson. In 2004 the Pierce Memorial Library achieved national recognition by being named to The National Register of Historic Places by The National Park Service. The original building was designed by Portland architect Edward Fassett and the addition was designed in the same style by John Calvin Stevens.