Driving down the hill just before entering the hamlet of Cutchogue, the first sight many visitors have is of not one, but two churches. Not an uncommon sight for the east end. But what is uncommon, or, as we prefer, unique, is that one of those churches is actually a public library. The Cutchogue - New Suffolk Free Library is located on the corner of Main Rd and Cases Lane in what was originally an Independent Congregational Church. The church was built by the Independent Congregational Church and Society in 1862. The society was formed by a group of people who split off from the Cutchogue Presbyterian Church. They built their church on land donated by one of their members and financed through member contributions such as a wooded lot, 4 shares of stock and one woman’s gold beads.
By 1913 the building was not in use and the members had returned to the Presbyterian Church while still keeping their religious society active. The Trustees voted to refurbish the building and grounds for use as a library. In 1914 the Trustees approved the rental of the building for a dollar a year. The library was opened and staffed by volunteers and then granted a charter in 1917. A furnace and electricity were installed in 1920. In 1927 the Cutchogue Methodist Church burned and the Congregational Society closed the library to allow the Methodists to use the building for worship while they were building their new church. The library was reopened when the new Methodist church was completed. The library continued to operate in the Church building for a nominal rent with free standing shelving and no permanent furnishings so that it could be returned to a place of worship with little problem. Over the years the library continued to grow but with only minor changes added to the building, a bathroom in the minister’s robing room, a door to the rear of the building for fire safety and smoking was banned in the building.
The library was firmly established by the 1980’s with a full time librarian and several part time staffers. Programs such as children’s story times, the summer evening movies on the lawn (with bug spray provided) and art shows hung high above the shelves, were enjoyed by all but the library was seriously outgrowing the available space. Saturday afternoon movies for the children meant adults had to search for their books with flashlights while the young people enjoyed their movies in the darkened building. The library purchased the old telephone building in the village in the hopes of being able to expand the space. When the planned expansion did not take place, the Congregational Society made it possible for the Library to buy the church building and embark on an extensive renovation and expansion project. The library moved into the addition in 1986 and a year later renovated the church into the current children’s room and meeting room. In 1994 the Historical Council joined us in renovating the expanded choir loft into the Local History Room. The west front corner of the ceiling of the Local History Room shows the original curved ceiling where thel spiral staircase led to the choir loft.
Today, the Library building is a blend of new and old design as demonstrated
in its services as well as it’s structure. From high speed Internet access
to jigsaw puzzles and story times, the Cutchogue - New Suffolk Free Library
remains an active, important and unique part of the community’s history.
Cutchogue - New Suffolk Library links
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