A Short History of The Woodstock Public Library District Excerpted from The Story of a Small Town Library, by Frances Rogers, 1974: On a chilly Wednesday evening in November of 1913, a group of Woodsto......More
A Short History of The Woodstock Public Library District Excerpted from The Story of a Small Town Library, by Frances Rogers, 1974: On a chilly Wednesday evening in November of 1913, a group of Woodstockers gathered at the Fireman’s Hall to learn first hand about the newly formed Woodstock Club. Founder of the experimental Byrdcliffe Arts Colony, Ralph Whitehead, started the club along with Charter members Walter Weyl and Dr. Mortimer Downer, to set up a nurses fund and to create a library. How would the club pay for these services? By charging members yearly dues of $1.00, and the club would buy a moving picture machine and hold picture shows once or twice a week at the Fireman’s Hall. A local builder and contractor, George Neher, was so impressed by what the club could do for Woodstock that he offered the use of a building located behind what is now the Center for Photography, and the essence of The Woodstock Public Library was born. Woodstockers could now enjoy the warmth of text beside the warmth of a $40 coal stove and read far more books than they themselves could afford to buy. The motion picture shows got off to a rocky start with the power supply to the projector breaking down at unpredictable times. Eventually, a better projector system was purchased and in 1918, a Market Fair was started as a war project to aid the red cross. Funds from the Market Fair contributed generously to the Woodstock Club over the years, as the Fair flourished: with Ethel Peet’s flowers and stuffed eggs as eagerly awaited as Marion Bullard’s sponge cake. Paint rags, contributed from attics and scrap bags all over the village, were rolled up, tied in bales and sold to art students. That, along with funds from the picture shows, kept the Club going through the 1920’s. The creative talent in this area grew, and the artists contributed greatly to the library. Some of them helped to build a unique collection of art books that is, to this day, unusually comprehensive. Artists helped make the Woodstock Library different from other small-town libraries, although collection space became increasingly cramped and funding was always a challenge. The Club desired to create a gathering place for the entire community, and especially a place that encouraged a healthy habit of reading amongst the young. The Club believed that Woodstock was ready and willing to support a Library worthy of its collections of books and in keeping with its growth and development in all directions. The Club expected and asked for support from everyone, and by one means or another, they got it. In 1927 the Club moved to a house whose oldest rooms may have been built as early as 1775. On Library Lane facing Tinker Street, the house had been originally purchased by Victor Lasher’s grandmother, and prior to the Club’s occupancy, it was used as a doctor’s office and then an apartment for summer tenants who could do without running water and indoor plumbing. Within the year, the Club received a gift of $5000 to purchase the land from Victor Lasher and the Woodstock Club officially deeded the property to the Woodstock Library for $1.00. This has been the Library’s home ever since. 1931 saw the first Library Fair on Library grounds, with many booths erected and a variety of goods displayed, including pictures, lithographs and art books; hand-sewn dresses and aprons; and homemade pies and cakes. There were games, music, tea and a pet show, where ribbons and prizes were awarded for the fastest wagging tail, the most beautiful animal and the animal with the most spots. A happening such as this in Woodstock, the home of so many famous artists, made news in The New York Times. The Fair has since become an anticipated yearly event from which locals and visitors to Woodstock carry away memories of one of the most delightful and fun times ever to be had in a small village. Funds raised from the Fair and generous gifts over the years allowed modest renovations and additions to be made to the old building, the last renovation in the 1980s creating the physical library of today. Only one original feature remains the 18 wooden stars on the exterior, representing the number of states in the union at the time. Dependable funding for day-to-day operations was secured in 1989 when the Library changed its status to a special legislative district library by a public vote. This meant stable tax-based funding for the library and accountability to the community. The registered voters of Woodstock were now empowered to elect the board of trustees and vote on the Library’s budget. This election happens annually in September or October. The 11-member Library board meets monthly, and all Library board meetings are open to the public. Woodstock is now ready to move its Library into the 21st century; we have worked through a Master Facilities Plan Process and are making decisions to further our hopes of achieving a Library Expansion. The story of a thriving small-town library continues.
