The Proud History of the Hinsdale Public Library
By M. Brooke Helman
Books speak to us. They grab our attention and take us away as we turn their pages. It is fitting that our library has its own story. If the granite blocks could speak to us, they might tell the story of waterguns on a pot bellied iron stove in the winter. It's a family story, and the story of the founding of the library closely parallels the story behind the founding of the town itself.
Just as Andrew Carnegie was returning from the railroad, and founding the Keystone Bridge Company, the cornerstone of the Library was being laid in 1866. After that Thomas F. Plunkett, the relative of one of the early benefactors of the library, was elected to the State Legislature as the representative for Pittsfield in 1868. Of Thomas K. Plunkett, one of the association members behind the founding of the Library it is said that "his heart and purse were open to the needs of the poor and afflicted." (Cooke, 110.) Plunkett was related to the Taylors by marriage through Abbie L. Taylor. That marriage ceremony was performed by the Rev. Kinsley Twinning, another member of the Hinsdale Public Library Association. The Plunketts were also related through marriage to the Kittridges, namely that of Charles H. Plunkett to Mary Kittredge. Charles was the father of both Thomas K. Plunkett and George T. Plunkett. (Cooke, 118.) During an era in American History when women were not yet allowed the vote, it was a woman that was the real force behind the foundation of the library. Mary P. Twinning left the library a fund of $5000 dollars (about $65,000 in today's climate). The Kittredge and Taylor families then contributed their resources, bringing the total fund to more than $25,000 (about $325,000 today).
The architect, Leopold Eidlitz, was the second architect to work on the Capitol in Albany, New York. An interesting fellow, Eidlitz defied the will of the New York State Legislature, and continued the Capitol in a manner he saw fit, rather than in the dictated Italian Renaissance style. Luckily for the residents of Hinsdale, he built the library in an English Tudor fashion as requested by the Twinnings, cleary demonstrated in the arches of the lower windows, the ubiquitous oak paneling, and the exterior brickwork. There are Gothic touches to the building as well, such as the club motif carried through the building. Norse and Celtic influence is evidenced in some of the ornately carved gingerbread, brackets, and rafters. Despite the wealth of ornamentation, the building was completed in only 6 months time. Our lawn features a cannon monument that features the names of the Veterans of Hinsdale. Fortunately, the Hinsdale Public Library was designed to function as such, which allows us to continue to utilize the building towards that end some 150 years later.
Currently, the Library Board consists of President John Eagar, Treasurer Laura Galliher, Secretary Dawn Frissell, and members Mary Lou Galliher, Lois Murray, Mary Rice and Susan Sauvé. The Board meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 6.30. I am currently the Library's Director, having obtained a Master of Science degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Library exists to educate the community, as well as serve as a meeting place and social center. Our collection includes not only books for adults, but children's materials, audiobooks, DVDs, and computer access. Activities for patrons include traditional book discussion groups for all ages as well as more creative things like rug hooking, chess, and puzzles.
Works Consulted:
Rags to Riches Timeline
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carnegie/timeline/timeline2.html
Accessed 9/5/2003
Cooke, Rollin Hillyer, editor.
Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Berkshire County Vol II.
Lewis Publishing , New York: 1906.
Berkshire County Regional Planning Committee.
Historic Hinsdale Homes. Form MP 5 1979.
Kennedy, William.
Capitol in Albany. Aperature: 1986.
