Altamont Library Notes for Wednesday, January 5, 2022
The Altamont Free Library — housed in this structure built in 1897 as a train depot — is celebrating the building’s 125th anniversary this year. There are plenty of pictures of the outside of the station; the library is seeking pictures of the inside, from 1897 to 1963. Do you have one?
I think we can all agree that 2021 was a mixed bag at best, but for the coming year we’re looking forward to a celebration that we’ve been thinking about for a while: 2022 marks the 125th anniversary of the construction of the Altamont train station, and we’ll be celebrating our beloved home in lots of ways throughout the year.
First things first, though: We need to solve a mystery.
Hard as it might be to believe, there seem to be no photographs of the interior of the train station when it was in service between 1897 and 1963. The Village Archives doesn’t have one as far as we can tell, nor does The Altamont Enterprise.
But maybe you do! If you or your family have lived in Altamont for more than 60 years, please consider taking a look through any old photos that you might have from the Altamont train station’s operational years. If you happen to be have a picture of the station’s interior, we would love to see it. (We’d love to see old photos of the exterior too, but we already have lots of those!)
If you find an old photo, or know someone who might have one, please let us know! You can call me at 518-861-7239 or email me at . Thanks for looking!
Bundle Up
Children’s Nature Program
On Tuesday, Jan. 11, at 3 p.m., please join Thacher Park naturalist Shannon Duerr to learn about how different animals behave in the winter cold! We’ll read “Snack, Snooze, Skedaddle” by Laura Purdie Salas, then we’ll become animals from the story to try out their winter activities.
Puppet play and make-believe will keep us warm during this active outdoor program. We’ll meet at the Orsini Park gazebo, and be outside for about 45 minutes, so bring your mittens!
Story time
on pause
In sadder news, given the recent increase in the spread of new COVID strains, we have decided to put a pause on in-person story times at the Altamont Reformed Church for the time being. We will continue to review public health conditions over the coming weeks, and will be very happy to bring them back as soon as we safely can. In the meantime, please get vaccinated if you are able, get a booster if you haven’t yet, keep wearing those masks, and making safe, healthy choices to help stop the spread.