Book Tour

      'Tis the Season.

     No, not that Season. I'm not thinking of the time of year when we all eat too much and overindulge certain heady beverages. I do that pretty much year round. What 'Tis the Season means to me is Reading Season. That's when it gets dark by 4:30 in the afternoon and I'm happy to settle in by the woodstove with a good book for a few hours before bedtime. It's a luxury I have a hard time allowing myself the rest of the year.

     Say 'books' and libraries are the first thing that comes to my mind. Washington County has a library in almost every town and they're not cookie cutter. Each one has a personality of its own and I thought it would be fun to profile as many as I can over the next few months. Let's start with the Bancroft Library in Salem.

     It's in the center of the village, at the only stop light, and street side parking shouldn't be a problem. Look for the bell in front of the building and you'll know you're there. That bell has a story to tell. It's a Maneely bell made in Troy, New York and it once hung in the Irving Memorial Clock Tower which was part of an imposing four story edifice known as the Proudfit Building. The Proudfit was built for $20,000 in 1890 with commercial shops on the ground floor and the library, a memorial hall and the village offices on the second floor.

     On January 11, 1976 the Proudfit suffered the same fate as two previous buildings ( the Salem Hotel and the Fairchild House ) that had stood on the site, succumbing to a devastating fire. In a twist of cruel irony the fire apparently started in the firehouse towards the rear of the building. Volunteers were able to get two firetrucks out even as smoke poured out windows and doors. People also risked their lives to remove valuable books and town records from the second floor library and offices. Despite heroic efforts the upper floors were lost and the ground floor sustained smoke, heat and water damage. It's a testament to the resilience of the community that what was salvaged from the fire has become today's cozy library and town meeting hall. 

Fighting the Proudfit fire

The aftermath

  

What's left today: Open and Welcoming

     We had come to Salem to see our friend Chris Hubbard's watercolor show with nine works hanging in the hall between the library and the town meeting room. Her cat and dog portraits are striking and it was fun to try and identify the location of several local landscapes. Then there was the painting titled "Holly and Leif" which brought a chuckle. It's a beauty and the beast image of a girl snuggling with her friendly ox. The thing is, Gwenne and I can take some credit (responsibility?) for this chummy couple since Holly is our daughter and we raised Leif from newborn calf to the big boy he is today.

     After enjoying the art we moved on to the library. It's a bright, inviting space with large windows letting plenty of light into the stacks. There is wifi and several computers for patrons to use along with the usual collection of books, DVD's, newspapers and magazines. To the back is a separate reading room with comfy chairs and a large table that could accommodate big books and note taking. This is a quiet space that gets afternoon sun and houses the Walker Collection of natural history and ornithology. Also of note is the Audubon Collection of journals, published by the famed naturalist's granddaughter Maria who lived in Salem a century ago. The library has a number of books on Salem history as well. 

     One final impression from my visit was the sound of children laughing. They have their own space behind the librarians station and they were having a real good time. Come to think about it, so was I.