Our History
The Montour Falls Library had its start in 1872 when the members of a Literary Society hosted a performance at Langley Hall (today’s village hall) to raise money for a library. Books were purchased and the library was formed. Members could have access to the library books for a fee of five cents per week. A group was formed to manage the library and it was called the Havana Library Association. The library had 630 books to start, but as it grew in size the library operated out of Langley Hall. Over time, support for the library fluctuated, and its location changed several times.
In 1892, the Village Improvement Society was formed and one of its missions was to formalize the library. More books were purchased and a location for the library was established in a building known as the Raymond Building at the corner of Main and Owego Streets. A provisional charter for the library was granted by the Regents of the State University, and a permanent charter was awarded in 1901.
In October 1896 the library changed its name to the “Montour Falls Free Library,” since the village had changed its name from Havana to Montour Falls in 1895. By May 1897 the library moved to the Stotenbur building at the corner of Lee and Main Streets, where it was open for one hour three times a week.
It was the good fortune of the library that Jesse Woodhull, a wealthy lumber merchant who had been born and raised in Montour Falls, took an interest in the library. Woodhull bought the former bank building on Main Street from the estate of Hull Fanton in 1900. Woodhull hired an architect to add a beautiful, rounded Tiffany glass window at the southeast corner of the building, and in 1904 graciously donated the building to the village to serve as the library. One room of the library was devoted to a museum holding a collection of artifacts and documents about the village’s history. With more room, the volume of books grew from 630 at its beginning to nearly 9,000 by 1960.
Across the years, the library has been a centerpiece of the village as it continues to serve the public interest with books, videos, children’s and adult programs, and many other services.
The Land We Are On
The modern Village of Montour Falls is located on the traditional homelands of the Onödowáʼga (Seneca) people. Onödowáʼga means “People of the Great Hill”. The Seneca people are known as the “Keepers of the Western Door” as they are the westernmost nation in the Haudenosaunee territory. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy is made up of the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas. The confederacy was created to unite the nations and nurture peaceful decision making.
Haudenosaunee means people of the long house and hold symbolic meaning as each nation is given a role within the metaphorical long house. The symbol can be found here.
This land was the homeland of the Onödowáʼga until the Revolutionary War when much of this land was seized by the American government and sold to settlers who then constructed houses, buildings, dams, reservoirs, and roadways through the indigenous lands.
Mission and Vision
Mission Statement
The Montour Falls Library creates an environment that nurtures intellectual freedom, encourages lifelong learning, offers open access to resources, supports new technologies, respects cultural diversity, and embraces the future.
Vision Statement
The vision of the Montour Falls Library is to provide the community with the opportunity to explore the present, past, and future through multiple forms of media and communication. Goals to accomplish the vision include acting as a resource for the community to access, share, and use information and materials. The library will offer activities to meet the educational, recreational and cultural needs of the entire community, and will make its unique collection of historic materials available to the public.
Board of Trustees
Library Board of Trustee Meetings are open to the general public to attend. Board meetings are held the 4th Wednesday of each month at 5 pm unless otherwise indicated.
The Montour Falls Board Meeting Schedule for 2023 is below:
January 25
February 22
March 22
April 19
May 24
June 28
July 26
September 27
October 25
November 15
Interested in joining the Board of Trustees? email montourfalls@stls.org
