SDWC and the Tilton Library

The first library in South Deerfield was originally called the Village Library Association. It was organized in 1871 and in just 12 years it became a town library governed by a board of trustees. Over time, the library bounced around several locations in South Deerfield until it found a permanent home on North Main Street. Thanks to a generous benefactor and funds raised through the efforts of the South Deerfield Women’s Club, construction began in 1915. On November 14, 1916, the Tilton Library was dedicated in memory of Chauncey B. Tilton, the benefactor whose estate had provided the land on which it was erected and much of the funding for the building’s construction.

But wait, what came before the Tilton? The Village Room!

Built in 1896 to the north of Deerfield’s Congregational Church on property deeded by Emma Lewis Coleman, the Village Room served as a meeting space for the Women’s Club, was the scene of many church suppers, and housed a small library. It began as a community center and was dedicated to honor Deerfield’s civic-minded postmaster, Martha Goulding Pratt (1830-1894) in June of 1900 by a cohort of Deerfield stalwarts. The original building was enlarged in 1925 to plans drawn by architect Clarence P. Hoyt using money provided by the Congregational Parish. In return, the Parish had exclusive use of the building on certain days. The Village Room/Martha Goulding Pratt Memorial operated until 1957 when the building was torn down.