Pequot Library, Public library in Southport Historic District, Connecticut, US.
Pequot Library is a public library in the Southport Historic District of Connecticut, built in the Richardsonian Romanesque style with stone walls, arched windows, and a slate roof. The interior holds original wooden stacks, Tiffany stained glass windows, and a reading room that has changed little since the building opened.
Virginia Marquand Monroe and her husband Elbert B. Monroe founded the library in 1887 as a memorial to her uncle Frederick Marquand, a wealthy New York merchant. The current stone building was completed in 1894, replacing a smaller earlier structure on the same site.
Every summer, the library hosts one of the largest used book sales in New England, drawing visitors from across the region to browse titles spread across the grounds. For many local families, this annual event is a tradition that has continued for decades.
The building is accessible at ground level, and the main reading areas can be reached without climbing stairs. Visiting on a weekday tends to be quieter, as weekends often draw more visitors browsing the collections.
The library owns a copy of Shakespeare's First Folio, printed in 1623, which is among the rarest books in the English-speaking world. Finding such a work in a small-town library rather than a national institution is genuinely uncommon.
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