Cheney Library in Hoosick Falls
When I was growing up, a neighbor told me how the town was named. You see, there was a plague and the doctors went down the street, looking for people to treat, yelling “Who’s sick? Who’s sick?”
I think I believed that one for several years
.
There was a train blocking the way into town, one of those endless cargo trains that run for ages, but I was able to navigate around under a bridge.
The Cheney Library was named for the benefactor and founder Charles Cheney, who in 1907 started the Hoosick Falls Free Library. After his death, he bequeathed money to the library which allowed a new building to be made in 1923.
It reminds me of other libraries built by Carnegie during the same period. It’s designed to impress, and designed for its purpose instead of being a converted house.
The fireplace is a practical gas fireplace that makes the library cozy in the winter. The plaque above the mantle is a dedication to the founders, and the portrait above is the son of Charles Cheney.
They had a charging station next to the check-out desk, which I think is a good idea.
The basement holds the children’s room, a permanent book store and the restrooms. The stair has a lift chair for access.
Jane is visiting all 36 locations of the Upper Hudson Library System (see introduction)
What a cute painting of an elephant!
When Henry Hudson first entered New York Harbor, he turned to his first mate and said: “Is Staten Island?” The name stuck.