Gaylord Memorial Library

Gaylord Memorial Library Gaylord Memorial Library is a branch of the South Hadley Public Library. William H. A double funeral was held.

Gaylord, a much esteemed and civic-minded South Hadley citizen, would be proud to see that the library he provided for the town in 1904 still stands as a fitting memorial. The son of a farmer, Gaylord rose to wealth and prominence through hard work and enterprise. Recognizing the need for a public library in the town center, he generously offered the money to build one on the site of the former vi

llage cemetery, known as “God’s Acre”, on College Street. Across from Mount Holyoke College’s Mary Lyon Chapel, this cemetery had become overgrown and was considered an eyesore. Permission was given to move all of the graves to Evergreen Cemetery on Hadley Street, except for the grave of John Preston, the original donor of the land. The gravestone can still be found beneath a large spruce tree behind the library. The Boston architects, Putnam and Cox, drew the plans for the library, which cost $23,961 to build. On May 18, 1904, a dedication ceremony was held at the Center Congregational Church, including speeches by Mount Holyoke College President, Mary Wooley and other dignitaries. Dinner at the Woodbridge Hotel and a public reception at the library followed. The Gaylords lived to attend the library’s dedication, but in September William suffered a stroke and died one morning three months later. Betsey, who had been in ill health for some time, died later in the afternoon of the same day. Their portraits, painted by New York artist Catherine Abbott (who later married the Architect Allen Cox), still hang in the rotunda. Until 1968 Gaylord Memorial Library operated independently, when its costs became too great to be paid by the Gaylord endowment. It was run as a branch of the South Hadley Library until 1995, when the town made the decision to close the library due to fiscal constraints. There were many in South Hadley who wished the beautiful building to remain open as a library, and so the Gaylord Board of Trustees chose to operate independently once more. This enabled the library to remain open, though with limited hours. Thanks to generous donors and many volunteers, as well as continuing limited support from the town, Gaylord Library, a South Hadley treasure, is open to the public today.

We had fun playing Outdoor Games today. We explored bubbles, bean bags, balls and more.
08/22/2026

We had fun playing Outdoor Games today. We explored bubbles, bean bags, balls and more.

Today for Story Time we read; Little Blue Truck Lost and Found by Alice Schertle, Good Night Mr. Panda by Steve Antony, ...
08/21/2026

Today for Story Time we read; Little Blue Truck Lost and Found by Alice Schertle, Good Night Mr. Panda by Steve Antony, llama llama red pajama by Anna Dewdney and The Farmer’s Pajamas by Ruth Paul. We then painted or colored pictures for Craft. Join us every Friday morning at 10:30 for Story Time and Craft.

We had fun painting with string for Drop-in-Craft. Join us for our next Drop-in-Craft on Thursday, September 3 anytime b...
08/20/2026

We had fun painting with string for Drop-in-Craft. Join us for our next Drop-in-Craft on Thursday, September 3 anytime between 3 and 6.

We had fun at Water Play this morning!
08/15/2026

We had fun at Water Play this morning!

Today for Story Time we read The Dumped Truck by Daniel Bernstrom and Digger Daisy by Andrea Griffing Zimmerman. For cra...
08/14/2026

Today for Story Time we read The Dumped Truck by Daniel Bernstrom and Digger Daisy by Andrea Griffing Zimmerman. For craft we colored pictures of dump trucks, diggers or bulldozers and then glued on some brown “dirt.” Join us every Friday at 10:30 for Story Time and Craft.

Today for Story Time we read some books about getting ice cream and for Craft we made some ice cream cones. Join us eve...
08/07/2026

Today for Story Time we read some books about getting ice cream and for Craft we made some ice cream cones. Join us every Friday morning at 10:30 for Story Time and Craft.

Today for Drop-in-Craft we used markers, aluminum foil and spray bottles with water to make beautiful pictures.
08/07/2026

Today for Drop-in-Craft we used markers, aluminum foil and spray bottles with water to make beautiful pictures.

Come check out our next Story Stroll and learn about some solitary animals and what some social animal groups are called...
08/06/2026

Come check out our next Story Stroll and learn about some solitary animals and what some social animal groups are called. For example, did you know that a swarm of Swallows is called a Gulp? Come learn more fun group names as you stroll through this beautifully illustrated book.

Today for Story Time we had Kelly from Mass Audubon Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary visit for the Totally Turtle program and ...
07/31/2026

Today for Story Time we had Kelly from Mass Audubon Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary visit for the Totally Turtle program and it was Totally Awesome! Everyone loved learning about turtles and touching some real shells. We got to meet a live turtle named, Pita, and learned that brown eyes mean that she was a girl and red eyes are boys. We made our own turtles for craft. We went outside and watched Pita walk through the grass and dig near a big tree. One of our patrons said it was the best program she had ever been to. Thank you Kelly Mass Audubon Arcadia

We had fun with LEGO tonight! Join us Thursday August 13 from 3 to 6 for our next LEGO club!
07/30/2026

We had fun with LEGO tonight! Join us Thursday August 13 from 3 to 6 for our next LEGO club!

Address

47 College Street
South Hadley, MA
01075

Opening Hours

Thursday 1pm - 8pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 12pm

Telephone

+14135385047

Website

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