Douglas Library is 195 years old (seriously!)

NORTH CANAAN — One evening in early May 1821, William Douglas sat in his home in North Canaan and made out his will. One of his bequests consisted of $400 to buy books for a new library and another $400 as an endowment to fund future expenditures.

The first purchase made with those funds was the four-volume “Travels in New England and New York” by Timothy Dwight, a former president of Yale College.

Douglas’ library eventually became, as you may have guessed, the Douglas Library, and “Travels in New England and New York” is still in its collection.

One hundred and ninety-five and a third years later, on Saturday, Sept. 24, the library will celebrate its amazing history.

Although it’s been in its current location for most of living memory, the library’s early years were much more peripatetic.

Its first location was inside Town Hall, which was, at that point, on Church Street, in front of where Geer Village now sits.

Canaan split in two in 1858, and the half with the library in it became North Canaan. The new town built a new Town Hall, which the library moved into.

Oddly, the library continued to serve both Canaan (Falls Village) and North Canaan for another three decades. It wasn’t until 1890 that North Canaan bought Falls Village out.

The library made another move, to a tiny brick building on Railroad Street, before settling into its current home in 1927. The white clapboard house on Main Street had most recently been the home of a woman named Hattie Peet.

The building is charming and historic, but not large enough to fit all of the festivities planned for the anniversary celebration. So a tent will be put up across the street, next to the historical society.

There visitors will be able to enjoy live music by Zaney Janey, a library-themed cake and other baked goods provided by the Friends of the Douglas Library and a video made last spring in which patrons describe their memories of the library.

A scavenger hunt, readings by librarian Helen Mahoney and 11-year-old Mia Claydon, a presentation on the history of the library by town historian Kathryn Boughton and children’s activities will all take place that day, too.

Items of the Douglas family sterling silverware and historical photos of family members will be on display.

Susan Cane, who is heading the town quilt project, will provide visitors the opportunity to add their own squares.

The celebration will run from noon until 3 p.m. If it rains, everything will be postponed until Sunday, Sept. 25.

Author’s talk

On Friday, Sept. 23, at 7 p.m., local author and award-winning teacher Peter Vermilyea will give a talk about his latest book, “Wicked Litchfield County.”

In it, Vermilyea describes some of the bootleggers, counterfeiters and accused witches, not to mention the nation’s first mass murderer, who lived in our fair county.

For more information about the talk, the anniversary celebration or the library, call 860-824-7863 or go to www.douglaslibrarycanaan.org.