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About Cragsmoor and the Library

Cragsmoor, New York is located in the Northern Shawangunk Mountains, which run from the New Jersey to Rosendale, New York. The timbering, farming, and eventual clearing of the forests on the mountain gave way to scenic views and panoramic vistas. Cragsmoor is the only residential community sited on the Shawangunk ridge.

ART COLONY HISTORY The area has dramatic shifts in weather, unusual flora and fauna, and extraordinary natural beauty that attracted several artists who began summering here in the late 1870’s. An Artist Colony established itself and still flourishes today. Edward Lamson Henry, a noted genre painter, was the first artist to discover the beauty of Cragsmoor on a sketching trip in 1879. Mr. Henry then enticed others to join him and they did. Eliza Greatorex, the first female associate member of the National Academy of Design along with Frederick Dellenbaugh, an explorer, writer, architect, and painter. Noted portrait and landscape artists like Charles Curran, Helen Turner, George Inness Jr., Austa Sturdevant, and others began boarding here and eventually built homes in Cragsmoor.

LIBRARY HISTORY The Library was started by the artists and their spouses. The books were donated and kept at private homes, at the Casino in the Cragsmoor Inn, then the Federated Church building. Finally Frederick Dellenbaugh donated the land and designed the Library building. It was built in 1923 by local craftsmen, among them, Lawrence Keir and his brother John and Bert Goldsmith who were also involved in the construction of many homes in Cragsmoor. The Library opened in 1925, was chartered as an Association Library by New York State in 1949 and has been in continuous service to the public since then.

In the 1980's the Library received a grant to pursue the admittance of Cragsmoor to the National Register. On June 18, 1996, the Cragsmoor Historic District was created and entered on the New York State Register of Historic Places and on August 7, 1996 the Cragsmoor Historic District became part of the National Register of Historic Places.

Our small Library is a community center. In addition to books, books on tape, VHS, DVDs, newspapers and magazines, there are several computers available to our patrons, WIFI capability, and many programs during the year to appeal to children and adults.

The original founders of the Cragsmoor Art Colony and their contemporaries have donated many of their works to the library. All of these gifts have created a truly unique collection which is augmented by the works of our present day artists. There are more artists living and working in Cragsmoor today than during the time of the original art colony.

While NYS, Ulster County and the Town of Wawarsing contribute to our annual funding, we receive no direct tax money and raise 40% - 50% of our operating budget every year.

To donate to our Library or for additional information, call 845-647-4611 or email hgrifo@rcls.org

Mary Ann Maurer, Library Board President

Cragsmoor Free Library , Cragsmoor Road, Cragsmoor, New York, U.S.A. URL: http://www.rcls.org/crg/ Use this link to send questions or comments about the design, features, and links found on this site:Webmaster Form