Wow, I can’t believe this trip is already coming to an end. The final stop of the trip is another very unique place: the Haskell Free Library and Opera House. The library was intentionally built with the US-Canada border running right through the middle of it. The opera house on the second floor is the only one in the world where the performers and the audience are in two different countries.
Access the Haskell Free Library From Either the US or Canada
Like Rue Canusa, the rules are simple. You can enter the library from either the US or Canada, but you must return to the country you entered from. You can move freely inside the library, as if the border was not there. There is no customs checkpoint to go into the library, as there is no border crossing there. If you need to formally cross the border, there two ports of entry within about half a kilometer of the library.
While there is parking on both sides of the border, the only entrance into the library is from the US. If you come from Canada, you must stay on the sidewalk and go directly to the front door. There is a US Border Patrol agent just outside the library who can help you if you need anything.
The library is completely bilingual, with books in both English and French. They also have French-speaking and English-speaking librarians. When you walk into the library, one of the first things you’ll notice is the black line across the floor. That black line is the international border.
For a small space, the library had an impressive choice of books, especially when you consider that the books are in both English and French. Genres ranged from children’s books to young adult novels to many different kinds of fiction and non-fiction.
A Look At the Border Near the Haskell Free Library
Before jumping in to look at the border, take a step back and think of all of the fences, barriers, razor wire, and other deterrents at the US-Mexico border to discourage illegal crossings. If that’s one end of the spectrum, the border at the library would be the opposite end of the spectrum. Here, the US-Canada border is protected by … cue the drumroll …
… a row of flower pots.
While you may be tempted to laugh, this picture is an ode to the simpler times in the early-to-mid 20th century. As you drive through both Derby Line and Stanstead, you will see plenty of surface streets like the one seen in the picture that cross the international border and link the two towns.
An Ode to a Simpler Time
You could pass freely between the two towns before both countries tightened border security. Today, all of those streets now have fences, gates, or in this case, flower pots, across the road. It’s now highly illegal now to cross the border anywhere other than an official port of entry. If you’re caught illegally crossing the border now, you may face fines, imprisonment, deportation, and/or being barred from entering the country for a minimum of 5 years. Don’t even think about doing it.
Here are a few more photos of the border near the library.
The Final Stretch
As I get on Interstate 91 to head south, it finally starts to set in that this incredible adventure is coming to a close. I found truly fitting that with my history of chasing storms in Oklahoma, I had to tiptoe my way through severe thunderstorms and Tornado Warnings as I made my way through New Hampshire and Massachusetts. I am happy to report that I made it safely to my parent’s house in Massachusetts without incident from the severe weather.
This is not a trip that will be forgotten anytime soon, but I’m looking forward to spending time with my family and then gearing up for the “business” part of the trip. I’ll be loading up a trailer with the rest of my stuff that my mom and dad still have and hauling it back to Arizona. Here are some final numbers from the trip:
- Total Distance: 5,587.3 km
- Total Driving Time: 58 hrs, 4 mins
- Countries Visited: 3
- States/Provinces Visited: 15
- Mexico: 1 (Sonora)
- USA: 12 (AZ, NM, TX, OK, MO, IL, IN, OH, MI, VT, NH, MA)
- Canada: 2 (Ontario, Québec)
- Duration of Trip: 11 Days
The drive through the mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire was spectacular, even in the rain.