A Building in Two Countries? There’s no wall up here.

Way up north, or way down south, depending on your perspective, there’s a building that straddles the United States and Canadian border. It’s the only place I know of where you can enter the US or Canada without going through customs. And, it’s open to the public.
So I, being a travel and geography fanatic, had to check it out.

Derby Line, Vermont and Stanstead, Quebec share this unique building, the Haskell Free Library and Opera House.

The building, a gift from Martha Stewart Haskell along with her son, Colonel Horace Stewart Haskell, was completed in 1904. It was intentionally built along the border with the goal of serving both border town communities. Today, its mission lives on. There are over 20,000 books in both French and English, and residents of both towns can check out material.

Although, with today’s intense border security, I was wondering how easy it would be to visit this place. Would we have to walk through a border checkpoint in the middle of the building? Would we need to show our passports to use the restroom?

As we were coming back from a trip to Quebec City, we thought it would be easier to begin our visit on the Canadian side. We found a side street right next to the library. About 10 yards away (or meters, we were in Canada, after all…) we saw some potted plants in the middle of the street. Upon further inspection, we realized that this was actually the US-Canadian border.

It looked like we wouldn’t have to go through security at all. Of course, we spent a few minutes completely “dorking out” that we could be in two places at once.

I couldn’t get over it. We could hop back and forth along country lines. Was there any security here? Can people randomly go back and forth between the two countries without checking in? What happened to the whole “Protect Our Borders” rhetoric?

And then I noticed it. In the background of the above picture, you’ll notice a black SUV. There was Uncle Sam, making sure we weren’t about to try any funny business. I told my wife that I wanted to run down the street on the Vermont side to see if Homeland Security would pursue me, but again, she persuaded me that it probably wasn’t a good idea. She’s always keeping me out of trouble. It’s a full-time job for her.
Anyway, as a side note, there wasn’t much Canadian security. While we were there, a Canadian Border Patrol car drove by, waved at us, and then continued to drive down the street.

 

In the video you can see how I was really dorking out about this place. My wife had had enough of my shenanigans. For about a week before visiting the library, I told her it was “wild.” I’m not sure if she shared my enthusiasm.

 

After the initial “Oh my goodness, this is awesome” feeling subsided, we went inside. The entrance is on the Vermont side. We didn’t have to go through security, but I’m pretty sure if I decided to go for a joy run on the Vermont side, that guy in the black SUV would have been on me in a second.

The inside of the library is like any other library you’d see in other towns. Because it’s an active library with patrons inside, we had to be quiet, and I had to behave. It was difficult to snap any more photos. I didn’t want to be that guy taking photos in a library when people were trying to read; I didn’t want to be too annoying. I did, however, manage to snap a picture and take a video of the international border going through the building.

 

The building is also a National Landmark in both the US and Canada.

 

After our brief visit, we decided to continue our journey home. We left out of the main entrance, which is in Vermont, walked over the grass which led us back into Canada and our car. From there, we went to an official border crossing and reentered the States.

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What you need to know if you visit the Haskell Free Library and Opera House:

• This is not an official border crossing.
• If you are coming from the US side, you must immediately return to the US after your visit, no matter your citizenship.
• If you are coming from the Canadian side, you must immediately return to Canada after your visit (yes, even if you’re an American citizen).
• If you want to go across the border to visit the other country, you must go through a border checkpoint. There is one in Derby Line, VT / Standstead, QC where Routes 93 and 55 meet.
• Trying to sneak across this border will most likely result in you being arrested. Nobody wants an international incident, so don’t try.
• And, the most important thing to know: There are two Rs in library. Make sure you pronounce them. If you say “Lieberry,” others, especially non-English speakers, may think you’re referring to something you ate in the Vermont woods.
  

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  How to get to the Haskell Free Library depends on what country you’re visiting from.

The US address is 93 Caswell Ave, Derby Line, VT.
The Canadian address is 1 Rue Church, Stanstead, QC.
Pay attention to signs. Your GPS may not worry about telling you to cross the border where there is no checkpoint. You, on the other hand, should be careful.

 

Check out our map of places we’ve been in New England!