Historic US-Canada border library opens new Quebec-only entrance

The Haskell Free Library and Opera House, a community landmark deliberately constructed across the US-Canada border in 1904 so neighbors could share books and performances, has opened a new Canada-only entrance. This change came after the Trump administration restricted access for individuals entering from Canada, barring them from using the library's original main entrance located in Vermont on the US side.

For over a century, visitors from both countries moved freely through the building, crossing the international border marked by a strip of black tape on the floor. But tighter US security rules effectively closed the historic shared entrance to Canadian visitors in October 2025. The new entrance, created from a former emergency exit on the Canadian side, was a costly project funded in part through community fundraising. Video by Eloise Alanna.