The Shedd-Porter Memorial Library, located at 3 Main Street, is the public library of

Alstead, New Hampshire Alstead () is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,864 at the 2020 census. Alstead is home to Feuer State Forest. History The town was chartered by Massachusetts Governor Jonathan Belcher in 1735 as one ...

. The library building was a gift to the town from

John Graves Shedd John Graves Shedd (July 20, 1850October 22, 1926) was the second president, and chair of the board, of Marshall Field & Company. Biography Born on a New Hampshire farm on July 20, 1850, Shedd arrived in Chicago, Illinois in 1871 and began worki ...

and Mary Roenna (Porter) Shedd, and is a Beaux Arts building built in 1910 to a design by William H. McLean and Albert H. Wright. Shedd also donated 2,000 books to the library, whose collection now exceeds 10,000 volumes. The library building, one of the finest of the period in the state, was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

in 2010, and the

New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places The New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places (NHSRHP) is a register of historic places administered by the state of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. Buildings, districts, sites, landscapes (such as cem ...

in 2011.

Architecture

The library stands in the village center of Alstead, on about on the west side of Main Street just south of the Cold River. It is a small but imposing masonry structure, built out of granite with Classical Revival details. It is symmetrical and basically rectangular in shape, with projecting pavilions at the centers of the front and rear facades, and a domed roof at its center. Large windows flank the front pavilion, which houses the main entrance in an elaborate surround with Ionic columns, pilasters, and an elaborate entablature and pedimented gable. The interior follows a typical plan for early 20th-century libraries, with an entry vestibule in the front pavilion, a central librarian's desk, and reading rooms to either side. The pavilion to the rear houses book stacks. The building's basement originally housed a small auditorium, which has been re-adapted for use as a children's collection and reading room. The library building was the gift of

, chief executive of

Marshall Field & Company Marshall Field & Company (commonly known as Marshall Field's) was an upscale department store in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in the 19th century, it grew to become a large chain before Macy's, Inc acquired it in 2005. Its eponymous founder, ...

and an Alstead native, and his wife Mary Roenna (Porter) Shedd, a native of Langdon, and was given in memory of their parents.

References

{{NRHP in Cheshire County, New Hampshire Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire Beaux-Arts architecture in New Hampshire Library buildings completed in 1910 Libraries in Cheshire County, New Hampshire National Register of Historic Places in Cheshire County, New Hampshire New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places Alstead, New Hampshire

Architecture

See also

References