Hills Memorial Library
Encyclopedia
Hills Memorial Library is the former public library
of Hudson, New Hampshire
in the United States
. It was erected in memory of Ida Virginia Hills by her husband, Dr. Alfred Hills, and her mother, Mary Field Creutzborg. The land had been previously donated by Kimball Webster for the express purpose of building a public library. The new building was constructed over the winter of 1908-09 and opened to the public on June 12, 1909. The building itself was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on June 7, 1984. The town of Hudson closed the facility on May 18, 2009 as the collection was moved to the new George H. and Ella M. Rodgers Memorial Library.
Hudson's first free public library was established in March 1893 by unanimous vote at that year's town meeting
. Kimball Webster, Henry O. Smith and Oswald P. Baker were appointed trustees soon after. Later that same year, the town received a bequest from Dr. Adoniram Greeley, whose will provided five hundred volumes for a free library in the town of Hudson to be selected from his personal library of 3000 volumes. The cooperation of his heirs eventually raised the total number acquired from this bequest to 1889 volumes. The public library was named the Greeley Public Library in the family's honor.
The library, first established in a private home, was soon moved to a location above Baker's Bros store. On September 17, 1904, Kimball Webster, town historian, Selectman and Library Trustee, donated land in the center of town with the requirement that it eventually hold a free standing public library building. A few years later, when Ida Virginia Hills died unexpectedly on May 4, 1908, aged 51, her husband and mother decided to provide the funds to build a library in her memory. The town unanimously accepted the gift on September 3, 1908 and ground was broken the next month.
Construction costs totaled approximately $
14,000 over 7 months as the two-story, 70'x50' stone building was completed. In the end, the building contained a total of 2500 square feet (232.3 m²) of usable space divided between the main library floor, a small loft above, and a community meeting room in the basement. The new building, called Hills Memorial Library, was dedicated on the 22nd anniversary of the Hills' marriage, June 11, 1909, and opened to the public the next day.
During its first year of operation, under the direction of Librarian Eliza Leslie, 830 residents (out of 1344) signed up for library cards, and there was a total circulation of 5015 items. The collection at the end of the year was 4153 items, 600 of which were donated by Dr. Hills.
The basement meeting room was used by the town for many years for a variety of purposes. The Girl Scouts
, the Hudson Community Improvement Club and the Camera Club were among those community groups which met in the space. It was also used temporarily as a public school classroom while an addition was being added to the nearby H.O. Smith Elementary school.
However, the Hudson population and library circulation continued to grow apace through the first half of the 20th century. To meet a need for more space and children's materials, in 1965 the basement was transformed through the efforts of town organizations and the trustees into a dedicated children's room. This was opened to the public on January 18, 1966. The loft, known as the alcove, was also renovated a few years later, with work completed in 1975.
Another addition to library services came in 1977, when the Hudson Junior Woman's Club, the Fire Department, Boyer's Auto Body and the Alvirne High School
Industrial Arts department renovated a surplus army vehicle into a bookmobile
. Bookmobile service commenced in that same year and continued until 2005 when the second bookmobile was retired due to a need for extensive repairs.
Hills Memorial closed its doors upon the opening of the town's new public library, the George H. and Ella M. Rodgers Memorial Library. The new facility opened on May 18, 2009 and was formally dedicated on June 7, 2009. The move coincides with the 100th anniversary of the old Hills Memorial Library.
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
of Hudson, New Hampshire
Hudson, New Hampshire
Hudson is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 24,467 at the 2010 census.The primary settlement in town, where 7,336 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Hudson census-designated place and is located at the junctions of New Hampshire...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was erected in memory of Ida Virginia Hills by her husband, Dr. Alfred Hills, and her mother, Mary Field Creutzborg. The land had been previously donated by Kimball Webster for the express purpose of building a public library. The new building was constructed over the winter of 1908-09 and opened to the public on June 12, 1909. The building itself was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on June 7, 1984. The town of Hudson closed the facility on May 18, 2009 as the collection was moved to the new George H. and Ella M. Rodgers Memorial Library.
History
Town meeting
A town meeting is a form of direct democratic rule, used primarily in portions of the United States since the 17th century, in which most or all the members of a community come together to legislate policy and budgets for local government....
. Kimball Webster, Henry O. Smith and Oswald P. Baker were appointed trustees soon after. Later that same year, the town received a bequest from Dr. Adoniram Greeley, whose will provided five hundred volumes for a free library in the town of Hudson to be selected from his personal library of 3000 volumes. The cooperation of his heirs eventually raised the total number acquired from this bequest to 1889 volumes. The public library was named the Greeley Public Library in the family's honor.
The library, first established in a private home, was soon moved to a location above Baker's Bros store. On September 17, 1904, Kimball Webster, town historian, Selectman and Library Trustee, donated land in the center of town with the requirement that it eventually hold a free standing public library building. A few years later, when Ida Virginia Hills died unexpectedly on May 4, 1908, aged 51, her husband and mother decided to provide the funds to build a library in her memory. The town unanimously accepted the gift on September 3, 1908 and ground was broken the next month.
Construction costs totaled approximately $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
14,000 over 7 months as the two-story, 70'x50' stone building was completed. In the end, the building contained a total of 2500 square feet (232.3 m²) of usable space divided between the main library floor, a small loft above, and a community meeting room in the basement. The new building, called Hills Memorial Library, was dedicated on the 22nd anniversary of the Hills' marriage, June 11, 1909, and opened to the public the next day.
During its first year of operation, under the direction of Librarian Eliza Leslie, 830 residents (out of 1344) signed up for library cards, and there was a total circulation of 5015 items. The collection at the end of the year was 4153 items, 600 of which were donated by Dr. Hills.
The basement meeting room was used by the town for many years for a variety of purposes. The Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
, the Hudson Community Improvement Club and the Camera Club were among those community groups which met in the space. It was also used temporarily as a public school classroom while an addition was being added to the nearby H.O. Smith Elementary school.
However, the Hudson population and library circulation continued to grow apace through the first half of the 20th century. To meet a need for more space and children's materials, in 1965 the basement was transformed through the efforts of town organizations and the trustees into a dedicated children's room. This was opened to the public on January 18, 1966. The loft, known as the alcove, was also renovated a few years later, with work completed in 1975.
Another addition to library services came in 1977, when the Hudson Junior Woman's Club, the Fire Department, Boyer's Auto Body and the Alvirne High School
Alvirne High School
Alvirne High School is located in the town of Hudson, New Hampshire with an enrollment of approximately 1,500 students from grades 9-12. Alvirne gets its name from a prominent Hudson family, the Alfred and Virginia Hills family, who left a large piece of property to the town in the early 20th...
Industrial Arts department renovated a surplus army vehicle into a bookmobile
Bookmobile
A bookmobile or mobile library is a large vehicle designed for use as a library. It is designed to hold books on shelves so that when the vehicle is parked the books can be accessed by readers. It usually has enough space for people to sit and read books inside. Mobile libraries are often used to...
. Bookmobile service commenced in that same year and continued until 2005 when the second bookmobile was retired due to a need for extensive repairs.
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