Stratford Public Library
Trustees
Contact
Thomas McCorkhill, Librarian
Phone: 603-922-9016
Email: library03590@gmail.com
HOURS
Regular hours: February through October
Monday: 9 am – 2 pm
Thursday: 9 pm – 5 pm
Friday: 9 am – 5 pm
Winter hours: November through January
Monday: 9 am – 4 pm
Thursday: 9 pm – 4 pm
Friday: 9 am – 4 pm
Address
Grand Trunk Railroad Station
74 Main Street
PO Box 313
Stratford, NH 03590
Visit the LIBRARY’S WEBSITE to search for books and discover all the services they have to offer!
Come visit the Children’s Library with craft space or check out the gaming console.
The Train Museum room has an operating O-scale model railroad display. Learn more.
NEW in 2024: A free Level 2 EV charging station is now availbable at the Town Pavilion right next to the library. It is powered by the solar panels on the pavilion roof.
Brief history of the former train depot, now the Stratford Public Library
The St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad was the first international railway in the United States. It came through Stratford in 1853 and connected Montreal, Quebec with Portland, Maine – an ice free port used to ship Canadian wheat to Europe.
The first depot was actually in Bloomfield, Vermont and was just a workman’s shanty. The first depot in Stratford was built in 1854, a very small affair. As passenger traffic increased and Brunswick Springs with its fine hotels became more popular, a larger depot was built in 1889 on the north side of the tracks.
In 1920, the depot was moved to its current location across the tracks and was enlarged. The railroad gave the town of Stratford the vacated property to develop a small park with a water fountain. As rail traffic decreased after WWII, the station became a work shed and finally fell into disrepair.
In 1999, residents of Stratford wanted to save the depot and with the town purchase of the building they went about getting grants to restore the depot to its former glory. It opened as the Stratford Public Library in 2008. In May, 2025 the building was listed on the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places.
The Library has a “Railroad Room” with a small railroad museum and an operating O-Scale model railroad, which is open to the public during regular library hours.
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Original location of train depot, north of tracks, with old town hall in the background (ca early 1920s) |
Current location of train depot, south of tracks, while still in use (post WWII) |
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St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad engine and boxcars along Town Common |
The train depot, now housing the Stratford Public Library, was listed on the NH State Register of Historic Places in 2025 |
The Stratford Public Library is holding a series of summer events for kids in July and August, from story telling to wildlife encounters. All are welcome. Check out the links below for more details.
2025
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2025_05_09-LIB-Minutes.pdf
2025_03_14-LIB-Minutes.pdf
2025_02_14-LIB-Minutes.pdf
2025_01_10-LIB-Minutes.pdf
2024
| 2024_11_08-LIB-Minutes.pdf |
| 2024_10_11-LIB-Minutes.pdf |
| 2024_09_20-LIB-Minutes.pdf |
| 2024_08_08-LIB-Minutes.pdf |
| 2024_06_14-LIB-Minutes.pdf |
| 2024_05_10-LIB-Minutes.pdf |
| 2024_04_12-LIB-Minutes.pdf |
| 2024_03_08-LIB-Minutes.pdf |
| 2024_02_09-LIB-Minutes.pdf |
| 2024_01_12-LIB-Minutes.pdf |
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2023
| 2023_12_08-LIB-Minutes.pdf |
| 2023_11_17-LIB-Minutes.pdf |
| 23_10_13-LIB-Minutes.pdf |
| 23_09_15-LIB-Minutes.pdf |
| 23_08_18-LIB-Minutes.pdf |
| 23_07_21-LIB-Minutes.pdf |
| 23_06_16-Library-Minutes.pdf |
| 23_05_12-Library-Minutes.pdf |
| 23_04_14-Library-Minutes.pdf |
| 23_03_10-Library-Minutes.pdf |
| 23_02_10-Library-Minutes.pdf |
| 23_01_13-Library-Minutes.pdf |
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