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The Haskell Free
Library and Opera House is a neoclassical building that straddles the
international border in Stanstead, Quebec and Derby Line, Vermont.
The Haskell Free
Library and Opera House was a gift from Mrs. Martha Stewart Haskell and
her son Col. Horace "Stewart" Haskell. It was built in memory of
her parents Catherine and Horace Stewart and her husband Carlos Freeman
Haskell. The Haskell’s wanted Canadians and Americans to have equal access to
the Library and Opera House so they chose to build on the border.
Construction began in 1901 and the Opera House opened in 1904 and the Library
in 1905.
The library has two different addresses; 93 Caswell
Avenue, Derby Line, Vermont, and 1 rue
Church (Church Street), Stanstead, Quebec.
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A thick black line runs beneath the seats of
the opera house and diagonally across the center of the library’s reading
room to mark the Canada-U.S. border.
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The library collection, and the opera stage
are both located in Stanstead, but the main entrance and most opera seats are
located in Derby Line. Because of this, The
Haskell is sometimes called “the only library in the U.S. with no books”
and “the only opera house in the U.S. with no stage”.
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There is no entrance from Canada, however,
three is an emergency exit on the Canadian side of the building.
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All patrons and visitors must use the U.S.
entrance to access the building.
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Patrons from Canada are permitted to enter the
U.S. door without needing to report to customs, providing they return to
Canada immediately upon leaving the building.
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| The Haskell Free Library and Opera House |
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