Howard and Alba Leahy Library is located in the Vermont History Center in Barre, VT. It is housed in the old

Spaulding School Building The former Spaulding School Building is a historic structure that has overlooked the city of Barre, Vermont, United States, since 1891. It now houses the Vermont History Center, the home of the Vermont Historical Society. The building The building ...

and run by the

Vermont Historical Society The Vermont Historical Society (VHS) was founded in 1838 to preserve and record the cultural history of the US state of Vermont. Headquartered in the old Spaulding School Building in Barre, the Vermont History Center is home to the Vermont His ...

, which is also located in the same building.

About

The library was named after Howard and Alba Leahy, the parents of

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Patrick Leahy Patrick Joseph Leahy (; born March 31, 1940) is an American politician and attorney who is the senior United States senator from Vermont and serves as the president pro tempore of the United States Senate. A member of the Democratic Party, ...

. Senator Leahy helped secure funding to pay for some of the renovations of the Spaulding School building and in return the Vermont Historical Society named the library in his parents' honor.VPR. Historical Society Names Building for Leahy's Parents. http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/78044/ The Howard and Alba Leahy Library is open to the public and allows for individualized research. Researchers can find a variety of resources documenting the history and people of Vermont, including a collection of books and pamphlets dating from the 1770s to the present. The past is preserved at the library in letters, diaries, ledgers and scrapbooks. The extensive photograph and broadside collections create a visual record of the state's past as well. With a special interest in family history, the library has the largest printed genealogical collection in the state. It is also home to some of Vermont's earliest maps and planning documents. A catalog of most of the library's holdings is available online.

History

In 2000, the

acquired the old Spaulding School in Barre, VT. It has since been renovated to house the Leahy library, collections storage and the administrative offices for Vermont Historical Society. In July 2002 the Society's library opened to the public on the second floor of the Vermont History Center.

References

External links

* {{coord, 44.19592, -72.49835, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-VT, display=title Libraries in Vermont Buildings and structures in Barre (city), Vermont 2002 establishments in Vermont Libraries established in 2002