Postcard

Publication

-

Bixby Memorial Free Library

Name/Title

Postcard

Entry/Object ID

2023.004.009

Secondary Title

Bixby Memorial Free Library, Vergennes, Vt.

Description

A view of the front of the Bixby Library on Main Street, Vergennes, with a man standing just outside the main entrance. The card was never sent. On the reverse side, the name of the publishing company out of Belfast, Maine, is prominently displayed.

Context

John Pierpoint, a lawyer and eventually Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court for nearly two decades (1865-1882) had a home on this site overlooking the Otter Creek. 21,William Gove Bixby (1829-1907), worked in his father’s hardware business in Vergennes and owned several manufacturing enterprises located on the Otter Creek in Vergennes. He was known to be fond of “great literature” as well as fine painting and sailing — but surprised city residents when he bequeathed most of his estate —$300,000 — to build a library. He had inherited significant wealth from his sister who had married a successful Chicago hotel operator. Local officials hired a New York architectural firm and a New York construction company to build a grand library building. It is made of yellow tapestry brick, with Indiana limestone columns and a Vermont stone foundation and cost $80,000 to erect. The lobby is like a rotunda with a stained-glass dome, Ionic columns and a double staircase of marble. The library is listed on both the National and State of Vermont Historic registers. The cornerstone for the Bixby was laid in September of 1911. On August 1, 1912, the 3,530 volumes plus public documents, government reports and unbound magazines of the City Library were transferred to the newly opened Bixby Library. Today the library has 21,600 books, 2,000 DVDs and audio books, three public computers and a library of things such as equipment and games, and also houses museum and archival collections illuminating the area’s remarkable local history.

Collection

Edgar and Margaret Crosby Collection

Cataloged By

Remsen, Nancy

Publication Details

Publication Type

Postcard

Publisher

Eastern Illustrating Publishing Co., Belfast , Maine

Dimensions

Height

5-1/2 in

Width

3-1/2 in

Relationships

Related Places

Place

* Untyped Place

Rutland

State/Province

Vermont

Created By

Nancy Remsen

Create Date

April 27, 2023

Updated By

Nancy Remsen

Update Date

November 14, 2023