Barre in Washington County, Vermont — The American Northeast (New England)

Aldrich Public Library

1907

— Downtown Barre Historic Walking Tour —

Aldrich Public Library Marker image. Click for more information.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., July 29, 2025

1. Aldrich Public Library Marker

National Register of Historic Places Registration Form:
Click for more information.

Inscription.

[Title is text]

Erected by The Barre Partnership.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Education. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1907.

Location. 44° 11.858′ N, 72° 30.061′ W. Marker is in Barre, Vermont, in Washington County. It is at the intersection of Washington Street (U.S. 302) and Elm Street, on the right when traveling north on Washington Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6 Washington Street, Barre VT 05641, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Vermont’s Green Mountains.

It is also in the American Northeast

and in New England.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Great North Woods,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Mr. Pickwick (a few steps from this marker); Youth Triumphant Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); First Baptist Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Junction of Post and Stage Roads (within shouting distance of this marker); Home Of The First Boy Scout Troop In America (within shouting distance of this marker); Granite Savings Bank & Trust Company (within shouting distance of this marker); Civil War Memorial

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(about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); National Humane Alliance Fountain (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Barre.

More about this marker. The simple granite marker is appropriate for Barre, the granite capital of Vermont.

Regarding Aldrich Public Library. Per The Barre Partnership Historic Walking Tour brochure:

The Aldrich Library, named in honor of benefactor Leonard Aldrich, opened in 1908. It is notable for its monumental character in the Neo-Classical style with local granite detailing.

Barre Downtown National Register Historic District Statement of Significance excerpt:

The Aldrich Public Library is locally significant as an excellent example of a Classical Revival style public building located in the civic and commercial center of the City of Barre, Vermont. Occupying a prominent site in the center of downtown and located opposite the Barre City Park, the building is approached via radiating pathways in a landscaped front lawn. Architect Penn Varney, of Lynn, Massachusetts, designed the building, and contractor W.E. Jackson, of Montpelier, Vermont, oversaw its construction. It is built of buff-colored roman brick and trimmed

Aldrich Public Library and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., July 29, 2025

2. Aldrich Public Library and Marker

with locally quarried and finished granite, reflecting civic pride in the quality material and craftsmanship of the city’s most important industry. Funding for the construction of the building was donated by local businessman Leonard Frost Aldrich upon his death in 1898, and his bequest coincides with a national Public Library Movement at the turn of the twentieth century and, more specifically, the trend of public libraries financed by philanthropic means, led by Andrew Carnegie. Its design reflects contemporary ideas about functional library layouts, and includes a fireproof stacks room that retains its original iron structural support system with thick glass floors.

Also see . . . Aldrich Public Library History. (Submitted on August 6, 2025, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 10, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 6, 2025, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 121 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 6, 2025, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.