[LIB8035] Undated postcard published by The Collotype Co., Elizabeth, N.J. and N.Y.
Community support for the Cheshire Public Library began in 1888 when a group of concerned citizens gathered together to form the Village Improvement Society. After the Society met its initial goals, they turned their attention to the establishment of a library. In order to stock that first library, Mary Baldwin and her friend Mary Dickerman spent many hours collecting books. In 1892, a Library Association formed, with Mary Baldwin volunteering to serve as Librarian, a post she would hold for the next 29 years. The first Cheshire Public Library officially opened in one room, once a school building belonging to Dr. Horton on Horton Avenue.
Two years later the Library moved to a house owned by Mary Baldwin’s father, presently known as the Belknap House. [Website]
