In a quiet border town where a single building has long united two nations, workers labored under grey skies this week to construct a new entrance — one that will soon redefine a century-old symbol of U.S.-Canada friendship.
For more than 100 years, residents of Stanstead, Quebec, could stroll through a side door of the Haskell Free Library and Opera House directly into Derby Line, Vermont, crossing the international border without customs checks.
The shared library, with its black line running across the floor to mark the boundary, stood as a living monument to openness and trust between the two countries.
Now, that unique arrangement has come to an end. The Trump administration has revoked Canada’s unrestricted access, citing concerns over “illicit cross-border activities” and the need for tighter security.
Standing on the thin black line that splits the library in two, Sylvie Boudreau, president of the library’s board of trustees, said the decision has deeply upset residents on both sides of the border.
“The announcement has caused a lot of anger on both sides,” she said. “This place has always represented unity — not division.”
The Haskell Library, built in 1904, was deliberately constructed straddling the border to serve communities in both countries. Its reading room lies in the United States, while most of its bookshelves sit in Canada — a quirky yet cherished arrangement that now faces an uncertain future.
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