Cragsmoor Public Library

The hamlet of Cragsmoor, the only residential community on the Shawangunk Ridge, got its start as an artists' colony in the late 1870s (see library website for full history).

The library was started by the artists and their spouses. Books were donated and kept in private homes, at the Casino in the Cragsmoor Inn, then at the Federated Church building.

Eventually, one Frederick Dellenbaugh donated some land and designed a building; local craftsmen commenced construction in 1923. 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.

www.rcls.org/crg/history.html