A Library With No Books

Monday, November 21, 2011

International border line within the library

In the United States there's a library with no books and an opera house with no stage, and they're both in the same building. 

I've been researching Vermont as the setting for my next book and came across an interesting oddity. The village Derby Line that borders Canada has a library deliberately built to span both countries.

Derby Line was incorporated in 1791 but because of an erratic survey, the border separating Canada from the United States was drawn incorrectly by the surveyors in the 18th century, above the 45th parallel which was the agreed boundary. Derby Line was founded based on that line, above the 45th parallel.

A binational couple, the Haskells, chose to construct the Haskell Free Library and Opera House on the international border in 1904 so that people on both sides of the border would have use of the facility. Patrons of the library from either side of the border may use the facility without going through border security.

The library collection and the opera stage are located in Stanstead, Canada, but the door and most opera seats are located in Derby Line.

The library/opera house isn't the only place with the international border running through it.  For some individual homes, a meal may be prepared in one country and eaten in the other.  



The library collection and the opera stage are located in Stanstead, but the door and most opera seats are located in Derby Line. Because of this, the Haskell is sometimes called "the only library in U.S.A. with no books" and "the only opera house in U.S.A. with no stage". Its two addresses are 93 Caswell Avenue, Derby Line, Vermont and 1 Church Street, Stanstead, Quebec.