About The Building

 Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, today’s library (building) is one of the finest examples of Greek Revival style in the area.  It is uniquely erected in the form of a Greek Cross.  Wide steps lead to the entrance.  Wide Doric columns support a stone cornice and pediment.  This is also repeated on the east side of the building.  Curved bricks, and others, used in the construction of the structure were made on the east hill premises of George C. Wickham. Wickham was one of the pioneer settlers of the Montour Falls area, known at the time as Havana.

 Construction on the building was started in 1864 by Charles Cook as the Second National Bank of Havana.  It was completed by Hull Fanton upon Cook’s death in 1866 and was later re- established as Havana National Bank until 1884. 

 At the urging of Mrs. James A. Shepard (a prominent member of the local community) (and later trustee and librarian) who worked with him closely on the project, a wealthy native son Jesse C. Woodhull bought the building and hired a library architect to make extensive alterations to the original structure.  Among these changes, new bow windows featuring the Lamp of Learning in stained glass were added to the front of the building on the southeast corner.  On June 21, 1904 Mr. Woodhull presented the building to the village for library, literary and historical purposes.  It is the first Schuyler County repository of historical artifacts and archives.

History of the Library in Montour

 The history of Montour Library has three parts.  In 1872, it was conceived as a literary society and the Havana Library Association was born.  It was housed in rented space of the Village Hall (referred to back then as Langley Hall).  Special programs were offered for Society members and others in the community through the library organization, with books being loaned out for a week at for a rental fee of five cents.

By 1896, after the other organization had disbanded and with the library & its collections having been moved to several locations around town (old Raymond building, etc.), it was re-founded as the Montour Falls Free Library.  Its books were moved to the Stotenbur building on the corner of Main and Lee Streets.

 Finally, in 1904 under the direction of Jesse Woodhull, the old Havana National Bank building on the corner of Schuyler and Main Streets was refurbished into a library building.  Re-founded as the Montour Falls Memorial Library, the library has resided in its present location ever since.