Until this weekend, we’ve had a mild winter here on the Connecticut shoreline. The one substantial snowfall I rejoiced over melted within days, and a couple weeks ago I felt the need to see some snow. There was only one way to go — for an afternoon drive, anyway — and that was north. I decided to head toward Amherst, MA to visit Emily Dickinson’s grave. After I paid my respects and before turning towards home, I headed to the local public library and bumped into Robert Frost.

According to a quick search, The Jones Library is the closest public library to West Cemetery. The library is currently closed to the public due to the pandemic but luckily, it was still light enough to take some external photos.

The Jones Library was incorporated in 1919 after a bequest from Samuel Minot Jones. The building was designed to look like a residence and opened on November 1, 1928.

A close-up of the front door. I love the white, angular framing against the richness of the natural field stones. It’s great to see the Black Lives Matter banners. Notice the plaque to the left of the door.

A peek inside the front door.

This is the part where I “bumped into” Robert Frost. The Jones Library is on the Literary Landmarks Register due to its association with the poet.

The plaque reads,
“‘To the Jones Library
my first series collector and
longtime friend under Charles Green.’
Robert Frost”

and under that:
“In recognition of the Jones Library’s early relationship with Robert Frost, American poet and Amherst resident, this site is dedicated as a Literary Landmark by the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations.”
Dated October 24, 2009

The left side of the library, taken from the parking lot. Those dormer windows with globe designs are delightful. The world is yours inside your local library!

Brick meets field stone. Three doorways huddled together in such close proximity conveys a sense that a lot of activity happens here.

A view of the back of the library. You can see the edge of the receiving door eave to the extreme left. I wonder what those barn doors are for? There’s also another entry for patrons in the back, notice the porch’s white pillars.

Just behind the library is an 18th Century Garden plot maintained by the Garden Club of Amherst.

A view of the 18th Century Garden in winter slumber. I look forward to returning in the summer — please may all libraries be open by then — to check out the garden in all its glory.

This is the back, right corner of the library. It doesn’t have the quion support or detail from the other corner of the building, so I’m guessing this might be part of the new addition? That half-circle window at the top mirroring the globes of the side dormers is gorgeous.

This is a Google satellite image of the library. Isn’t this amazing?! It looks like there’s an internal courtyard inside the library. I’m assuming this is great for daytime reading. From this shot you obviously see the size of the library. What looks like a charming village library from the street is actually a rather large compound. They house some special collections.

(Side note: A neighbor of mine has a camera drone and, I won’t lie, after seeing this library image, I had a brief thought of getting one. But, ultimately, I do think they’re a bit creepy and horribly invasive).

The other side of the library, looking from the back toward the front. There are matching dormers with globe windows! Maybe this isn’t the addition? Or maybe the entire back of the library, including the other side, is the addition? Hmm, now I really have to go back and talk with a librarian about the history of this intriguing library architecture.

A peek through the window at the side emergency exit shows a library worker pushing a library cart. I know I’m not the only one who misses the whooshing of library cart wheels while working at a library table or browsing the shelves.

Another peek through a window, looking into the nonfiction section. Like a kid looking into a candy store.

Another wide-angle photo. This one is of the left side of the library from the front.

This photo take from the same position as the one above without the wide-angle.

A direct photo of the left from of the library. It does look like a cozy New England dwelling.

This map above is actually taken from Google maps. I’ve never seen a library mapped on Google like this. I checked my local library and such a map is not associated with it. This map is why I knew I was looking into the nonfiction section in one of the photos above.

Three public libraries serve Amherst. Jones is the main library and there are two branches: the North Amherst Library and the Munson Memorial Library in south Amherst.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these photos of the Jones Library. Their website is linked below.

Jones Library
43 Amity Street
Amherst, MA 01002
website

P.S. I began this post with a lament about missing snow this winter and am happy to report my town is currently under a winter storm warning with 11-16″ predicted. Fingers crossed.

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If you enjoyed this post, check out more of my library stops and visits here: https://chriswolak.com/library-visits/

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