On January 1, 1932 the library first opened in Petersburg in the Telephone Exchange Building. Yearly membership were sold for one dollar each. Our founding members include: Delia Sarff, Laura Johnson, Bert Cornelius and Myrtle Cornelius.
In August 1960 the library moved to the second floor of the municipal building where it remained until 2013. In September 2013 the community opened the doors of a beautiful new facility, located on the corner of Haugen Drive and Second Street. Learn more about our journey to the new library >
Librarians who have served the residents of Petersburg include Delia Sarff, Clara Hannah, Christine Fryer, Joyce Jenkins (Schultz), Chris Weiss and Tara Alcock.
Area History | Petersburg, Alaska
Tlingit Indians used the area as a summer fish camp for hundreds of years prior to the arrival of European immigrants in the late 1800’s. Petersburg is named after Peter Buschmann, a Norwegian immigrant, who built a sawmill and cannery on northern Mitkof Island. The Buschmann family's homestead grew into the community of Petersburg.
Many of the early families who settled here, and whose descendents continue to live here, are of Scandinavian descent. As a result, Petersburg earned the nickname of ‘Alaska’s Little Norway’. Residents continue many of the community’s Nordic traditions, including celebrating Syttende Mai (the 17th of May), Norway’s Constitution Day.
Thanks to the proximity to LeConte Glacier, Petersburg had a year round supply of ice for shipping fish south, and the community quickly grew into a prosperous fishing port.
Peter Bushmann's original cannery was later purchased by Pacific American Fisheries, one of the largest processors in its day. In the mid 1960's, the seafood industry was in decline and PAF decided to close down it's Petersburg plant.
A group of local fishermen pooled their resources, purchased the plant, and founded Petersburg Fisheries, Inc. In 1977, the company name was changed to Icicle Seafoods. Icicle Seafoods is one of the largest seafood processing companies in Alaska and operates plants throughout the state, including Petersburg. In 2017, Icicle Seafoods was purchased by Cooke Aquaculture, who continues to operate the Petersburg plant.
The Petersburg Borough is homeport to one of most productive and diverse commercial fishing fleets in Alaska, and location of three major seafood processing plants and several small custom processors.
On average, over 70 million pounds of fish and shellfish crosses the dock in Petersburg each year, making Petersburg one of the top ports in the country.