Hills Memorial Library facts for kids
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Hills Memorial Library
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Hills Memorial Library
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| Location | Hudson, New Hampshire |
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| Built | June 11, 1909 |
| Architect | Hubert G. Ripley |
| Architectural style | Tudor revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 84002812 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | June 7, 1984 |
The Hills Memorial Library is a historic building in Hudson, New Hampshire. It used to be the town's main public library. This special building was built to honor Ida Virginia Hills. Her husband, Dr. Alfred Hills, and her mother, Mary Field Creutzborg, paid for it. The land for the library was given by Kimball Webster. The library building was designed by architect Hubert G. Ripley. It opened its doors to the public on June 12, 1909.
The Hills Memorial Library is now recognized as a historic place. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It also joined the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places in 2012. The town of Hudson closed this library on May 18, 2009. All the books and services moved to a new, bigger library.
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Library History in Hudson
Hudson's first free public library started in March 1893. This happened after everyone at the town meeting voted for it. Soon after, Kimball Webster, Henry O. Smith, and Oswald P. Baker became the library's first leaders.
Later that year, the town received a gift from Dr. Adoniram Greeley. He left 500 books from his own collection for a free library. With help from his family, the library received 1,889 books in total. This first public library was named the Greeley Public Library to honor his family.
The first library was in a private home. It soon moved to a space above Baker's Bros store.
Building the Hills Memorial Library
On September 17, 1904, Kimball Webster gave land in the town center. He was a town historian and library leader. His gift came with a rule: the land had to be used for a public library building.
A few years later, Ida Virginia Hills passed away on May 4, 1908. She was 51 years old. Her husband and mother decided to pay for a new library. They wanted to build it in her memory. The town happily accepted this generous gift on September 3, 1908. Construction on the new building began the next month.
The building cost about $14,000 to build. It took seven months to finish. The stone building was two stories tall. It had about 2,500 square feet of space. This included the main library floor, a small loft, and a meeting room in the basement.
The new building was named Hills Memorial Library. It was officially opened on June 11, 1909. This date was also the 22nd anniversary of the Hills' marriage. The library opened to the public the very next day.
Early Years and Growth
In its first year, 830 people signed up for library cards. This was out of 1,344 residents in town. The library loaned out 5,015 items that year. By the end of the year, the library had 4,153 items. Dr. Hills himself donated 600 of these items.
The basement meeting room was used by the town for many years. Different groups met there, like the Girl Scouts and the Camera Club. It was also used as a temporary classroom for a public school. This happened while an addition was being built at a nearby elementary school.
As Hudson's population grew, so did the library's use. In 1965, the basement was changed into a special children's room. Town groups and library leaders worked together on this project. The children's room opened on January 18, 1966. A few years later, in 1975, the small loft area was also updated.
In 1977, the library added a bookmobile service. A bookmobile is like a library on wheels. Local groups and the Alvirne High School helped turn an old army vehicle into this mobile library. The bookmobile brought books to different parts of town. This service continued until 2005.
New Public Library
The Hills Memorial Library closed when Hudson's new public library opened. The new library is called the George H. and Ella M. Rodgers Memorial Library. It opened on May 18, 2009. The new library was officially dedicated on June 7, 2009. This move happened around the same time as the Hills Memorial Library's 100th anniversary.
