Read to a dog at the library

Bringing a dog and kids together in a library doesn't seem like a great idea on the surface, but Depauville Free Library is planning to do just that this summer during the month of July and, if there is interest, during August, too.

 

What makes the arrangement a perfect program for Depauville Library is the training, experience, and skill that Mary Eder, a certified Animal Assisted Therapist and resident of Wellesley Island, will bring with her when she and her chocolate lab, Dakota, come to the library each Thursday morning at 11:30 am.

 

Each child will have Dakota and Mary all to themselves for 15 minutes.

Personalized Computer Classes @ Depauville Library

Computer skills are very important in today’s world and Depauville Free Library is offering training sessions for anyone interested in operating a computer or exploring the Internet. Whether you are working on your resume or still trying to find the "on/off" switch, these training sessions can give you the help you need.

 

Instruction is free and will be one-on-one or one-on-two, (so you won’t have to go it alone!) and the sessions will be scheduled to accommodate your day as long as they fall within library hours.

 

Training will be tailored to what you want to learn: computer basics, Microsoft Word, introduction to using the Internet, searching the Internet, email, handling digital photos, writing a resume, online job searching, social network basics, as well as online library services like reference and ebooks.

 

Please call the Depauville Library at 686-3299 to find out more about the classes we are offering and to set up a time.

Trustees of the Depauville Free Library

Winnie Edwards, Jan Larrow, Nancy Gardner, Joan Blance, Melissa Vaillancourt,

Tresa Forkey, Jill Mason

Models of Depauville's Historic Buildings

                       

Beautiful and finely detailed models of Depauville landmarks have been donated to the Community Center and are now on display at the Library.

Jan Debevic (born Janice Exford) has graciously donated models of the Methodist Church, the Old Stone School, and the MacFarlane Building. Over the years her friend, George Frank, a Methodist minister and railroad buff, skillfully constructed these buildings, as well as a model of Jan’s home in the hamlet. After the recent fire that destroyed the MacFarlane Building, Jan thought the models would be better kept here in Depauville and we are grateful for her generosity.

Generosity has also brought us a model of the Old Stone Church. Made on a larger scale, the model not only captures the outside of the church but accurately shows the building's interior. Viva Fauteux (born Viva Ward) grew up on Grindstone but lived for a time in the hamlet and has donated her replica of the landmark to the community.

Preserving Depauville History

Click on the image to see a slide show of the restoration process that the theater curtain and signature quilt underwent

Click on this image to see a slide show of the restoration process undertaken for the theater curtain and the signature quilt. 

The large cotton canvas theater curtain, dating from the early 1900s, originally hung on the stage of the old Depauville Town Hall. Decorated with colorful advertising of area businesses, it is also referred to as an "advertising drape". The reverse side is inscribed and dated by many local performers who graced the Town Hall's stage. When the Town Hall was sold and the stage converted to cubby storage, the library inherited the curtain, where, for many years it lanquished, nailed to a wall, in a state of deterioration.  Placed in the storage shed for safe keeping when work to renovate the library began, the curtain luckily survived the library fire in 2007, and, through a grant from the Greater Hudson Heritage Network was restored by West Lake Conservators of Skaneateles, NY, the same group that repaired the 1903 Signature Quilt that now hangs in the library.

The quilt and theater curtain are cherished centerpieces of a collection of local history in the library that illustrate the rich and lively heritage of our community at the turn of the twentieth century.

1903 Signature Quilt on Display

This classic hand pieced and hand quilted signature quilt, made in Depauville in 1903, had been rolled and off display at the time of the September, 2007 fire that caused structural damage to the Depauville Free Library and destroyed all of the library's books.

 

Unfortunately the quilt did not escape the fire unscathed. It was burned and sustained smoke and water damage and mildew set in before the quilt received professional attention from West Lake Conservators, Ltd, of Skaneateles, NY.

 

The quilt now hangs in the Library, beautifully cleaned and the damage stabilized, but showing the scars it received in the fire. It consists of 25 full blocks, each approximately 13 inches square, and 5 half blocks. The pattern is an eight pointed star surrounded by 3 rows of sashing with a “nine patch” block at the intersections.

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