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Library Director
Jillian Stanger
Hours
Monday: 2:00 - 5:00
Tuesday: 10:00 - 5:00
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: 10:00 - 5:00
Friday: 2:00 - 5:00
Saturday: 10:00 - 2:00
Sunday: Closed
Membership
"A library in the middle of a community is a cross between an emergency exit, a life raft and a festival. They are cathedrals of the mind; hospitals of the soul; theme parks of the imagination.” - Caitlin Moran, Moranthology
Hello from the Board and the Director of the Cragsmoor Free Library!
Once again, it is time to become a new member or renew your current membership, confirming your support for the Cragsmoor Free Library with your $20.00 full or associate membership fee for the current calendar year.
The Cragsmoor Free Library has long been at the heart of the Cragsmoor community. It was founded by Cragsmoor families 100 years ago and installed in our beautiful building on the hill. Designed by Frederick Dellenbaugh and built by local craftsmen Bert Goldsmith and Laurence Keir, it was completed in 1925. Since 1925 your free community library has been more than the center of knowledge and dreams. It has also been that place where neighbors could meet and build relationships among those in Cragsmoor, Walker Valley, Pine Bush, Ellenville and many other communities that have defined Cragsmoor in the past century.
Members of the Library have safeguarded the survival of the books and the continuity of our community consciousness by electing Board members and approving both their policies and their stewardship. As a member, you continue that tradition and do your part to ensure that the Library will remain for our second 100 years. Your membership gives you the right to actively make a difference and participate in the decision-making process at the annual meeting in August.
Membership is individual. But you don’t have to be a member to use the services and participate in activities provided by the Library. Full voting membership is restricted to adults aged 18 or older who reside, maintain a home or own other real property in the hamlet or historic district of Cragsmoor. A non-voting associate membership is also available to non-residents and people under 18.
Your membership demonstrates your active and real support for the Library and your belief in what it means to our community in Cragsmoor. You are encouraged to donate an amount above the membership dues. Remember that all of it is tax-deductible.
Membership Letter | Become a Member (PayPal)
About
The hamlet of Cragsmoor, an area of approximately six square miles, is located near Ellenville, New York on Route 52 between Ellenville and
Pine Bush on the Shawangunk Ridge. The “Mountain Top,” as it was originally referred to, began with settlers and pioneers, and a farming
community was established in the early 1800s. The land was gradually cleared around homesteads and the lumber was hauled down the
mountain to fulfill the needs of growing communities in Walker Valley to the east and eventually the Rondout Valley to the west.
The timbering, farming and eventual clearing of the forests on the mountain gave way to scenic views and panoramic vistas. Dramatic shifts in
weather, unusual flora and fauna, and extraordinary natural beauty attracted several artists who began summering here in the late 1870s. An
artist colony established itself and flourished for almost seventy years.
The Library was started by the artists, their spouses and many local residents who obtained a provisional charter from New York State in 1913.
The books were donated and kept in several locations until Frederick S. Dellenbaugh (explorer, author and artist) donated the land and
designed the Library building. It was built from 1923 to 1925 by local craftsmen (some of whose families still live here). It has many interesting
architectural features, including the massive chestnut columns that support its vaulted ceiling and balcony, which was donated by Mrs.
George Innes, Jr. in honor of her husband. Frederick Dellenbaugh donated the land and designed the Library building. It was built in 1923 by
local craftsmen, among them, Lawrence Keir and his brother John who were involved in the construction of at least 25 buildings in Cragsmoor
primarily as stone masons. Lawrence is responsible for the floor to ceiling fire place in the library. Bert Goldsmith who accounts for 24
Cragsmoor buildings also helped build the Library.
The founders of the Cragsmoor Art Colony and their contemporaries donated many works to the Library. These gifts have created a unique
collection, which is augmented by our present-day artists. More artists live and work here today than during the time of the original art colony.
The Cragsmoor Free Library received its permanent charter in 1949 as an Association Library and has continued in service to the public ever
since. Because we are not a town or school library, less than half our annual operating budget comes from public funding. The rest must be
privately raised. The Library is a community center and meeting place for several groups. In addition to books, books on tape, large print
books, DVDs, newspapers and magazines, there are several public computers, WIFI capability and many programs during the year, both
educational and fun, to appeal to both children and adults.