Alice M. Ward Library
The Alice M. Ward Library is the public library serving Canaan, Essex County, Vermont. It is located at 27 Park St., in a former stagecoach inn, historically known as Jacobs Stand, built in 1846. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Building history and architecture Built in 1846 by Fernando C. Jacobs as an inn or 'stand', the building was the northernmost stop on the stage route to Montreal, Quebec, Canada East. Due to Jacob's known stance against slavery, local folklore considers the building to be the former northernmost U.S. stop on the Connecticut River route of the 19th century Underground Railroad. However, there is no evidence supporting the theory. The building was sold in 1888 to physician Artemas Ward and later bequest to the town of Canaan as a public library in 1930 after the death of his wife Alice. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its distinctive Neo-Palladian temple-form design. The library stands on the west side of the triangular town common in the center of Canaan village, near the southern end of Park Street where it meets Vermont Route 102. The building is a -story