Elting Memorial Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Elting Memorial Library
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The Elting Library seen from across Main Street. The older portion of the library is to the right; the newer wing and main entrance are on the left.
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| Location | New Paltz, NY |
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| Nearest city | Kingston |
| Built | circa 1750 through 2006 |
| Architect | Solomon Eltinge |
| Architectural style | Federal Style, Colonial |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000432 |
| Added to NRHP | 2004 |
The Elting Memorial Library is a public library in New Paltz, New York. It serves people living in the village and town. You can find it at 93 Main Street. This street is also known as NY 32 and 299.
The library has many books, just like other libraries in college towns. It also has a special collection. This collection is called the Haviland Heidgerd Historical Collection. It has "house books" that tell the stories of local homes. These include buildings on Huguenot Street.
In 2007, the library became famous for a video. The video seemed to show a ghost visiting the library. This video became very popular online. Some people have also said the library is haunted at other times. One old story tells of a man who was killed while reading. He was said to haunt the library for a year. Some people still feel his presence today.
Contents
History of the Elting Library
The library started in 1909. It was first called the New Paltz Free Library. The New Paltz Study Club created it. By 1919, the library needed more space. It had grown too big for its first home.
In 1920, Philip Lefevre Elting bought a new building. He was born in New Paltz and spent summers there. He bought the "Old Elting Homestead" for the library. This old stone house was first owned by Solomon Eltinge. He was also the builder.
The house was part of New Paltz's growth. It was one of the first buildings on Main Street. It was built around the time the Village of New Paltz became a village. Its location made it a good spot for the library.
The original stone building is very old. New parts were added in 1962 and 1978. It was expanded again in 2006. During this time, most of the library's books were moved. They went to temporary storage. This expansion cost about $2.5 million. The newest part now holds most of the books. It also has the main desk.
The library has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2004. This means it is an important historical site. It is also part of the New Paltz Downtown Historic District.
What the Library Offers
As of 2013, the library serves about 14,000 people. It lends out about 100,000 items each year. The library is part of the Mid-Hudson Library System. It offers many programs. These include speakers, story times for kids, and reading nights. They also show free movies. You can find information about jobs and tourism there too. The library is also a big part of the "One Book, One New Paltz" program.
Since 2010, the library gets most of its money from local taxes. The people of New Paltz voted to increase this funding.
The Haviland Heidgerd Historical Collection
The library has a special collection of old materials. These items are important to the local area's history. The library says it is one of the best history collections in the Hudson Valley. It has many unique, original documents. People use this collection to learn about local history. They also use it to trace their family roots. This includes descendants of New Paltz's first families.
The collection has over 10,000 old newspapers and photos. It also has magazines and yearbooks. Some of these items date back to 1860.
How the Library is Run
A board of directors manages the library. This board has four officers and eight other members. They oversee the library director and the staff. The staff includes people who help with books and programs. There are also staff members who help children.
The Elting Library Ghost Story
A week before Halloween in 2007, something strange happened. A librarian opened the building in the morning. They found the door had been left open. Security cameras showed a 30-second clip. It was around 3:30 in the morning. Staff members said they saw something blurry moving. It went across the room towards the door. Then it seemed to disappear through a wall.
The library staff checked the camera. They could not find any problems with it. They described the blurry image in reports. They called it an "anomaly," a "spider," a "shadow," or "dust."
The security tape showed an area inside the original Solomon Eltinge House. Librarians became curious. They looked into the house's history. They used the library's own Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection. They found records of two deaths in the house. These happened in 1899 and 1908.
The ghost video was put on YouTube on March 21, 2008. By October of that year, it had over 300,000 views. This was about 50 times more than the village's population in 2000. The timing of the event made it even more interesting. However, many people did not know about it until months later.
