National Register of Historic Places

Hanover Town Library

Hanover, Grafton County, New Hampshire
Listed
April 24, 1997
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
97000371

About this property

The Hanover Town Library, more commonly known as the Etna Library, is a historic library located at 130 Etna Road in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. It primarily serves the Etna section of the town; the Classical Revival building it occupies was the first purpose-built library building in the town, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is a modest brick building, designed by Dartmouth College professor Robert E. Fletcher and built in 1905. The Etna Library is located in the village of Etna in eastern Hanover, on the north side of Etna Road near King Road. It is a single-story masonry structure, built of red brick with granite trim and covered by a hip roof. Its main facade is three bays wide, with paired narrow sash windows on either side of the center entrance. Each sash window is topped by a transom window, and the paired windows have rough-cut stone lintels and sills. The entrance is sheltered by a projecting portico, which has round Tuscan columns supporting a corniced entablature. The original entrance is a single door, set in a large segmented-arch opening with flanking double-width sidelight windows. The building has a rear projection that was originally designed to house a vault for town documents. Hanover's first lending library, a private endeavor, was established in 1801, and it (and later similar organizations) were based in the centrally located Etna village through the 19th century. In 1898, the town voted to establish a public library, which was seeded with these earlier collections. In March 1905, the town appropriated funds for the construction of a building, which was completed later that year. It was designed by Robert E. Fletcher, a Dartmouth College professor of engineering. In 2013–2014, the land surrounding the library was purchased by the Town of Hanover. An addition to the back of the library building and a parking lot next to the library was also built at this time. The Etna Library shares a library catalog and a library card with reciprocal borrowing privileges with Hanover's other library, The Howe Library, but is otherwise a completely separate institution. The Etna Library is the official public library for the town of Hanover and is governed by three ballot-elected Trustees who serve three-year terms. National Register of Historic Places listings in Grafton County, New Hampshire

Location

130 Etna Rd.
Hanover, Grafton County, New Hampshire
43.69477, -72.21776

Categories

EDUCATION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Hanover Town Library

This page lists Hanover Town Library. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Hanover Town Library report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Great Hollow Road Stone Arch Bridge
Industrial
0.9 mi
The Epic of American Civilization Murals, Baker Library, Dartmouth College
Listed
3.6 mi
Colburn Park Historic District
Listed
4 mi
Spring Hill Farm
Industrial
4.8 mi
Hewitt House
Industrial
5.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Hanover Town Library listed on the National Register?

Hanover Town Library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 24, 1997.

What type of historic resource is Hanover Town Library?

Hanover Town Library is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Hanover Town Library?

The period of significance for Hanover Town Library is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Hanover Town Library?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Hanover Town Library will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Grafton County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Grafton County.

Explore GraftonCounty ›

More historic places in New Hampshire

Browse all historic places in New Hampshire.

View New Hampshirehistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

New Hampshire history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

New Hampshirehistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Hanover Town Library will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report