1932 Newtown Public Library Built by Mary Hawley as a Memorial to Her Grandfather
25 Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free public library; visit during library hours
Access
Wheelchair OK
Multi-floor library on Main Street; modern addition includes elevator access
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1932 · 1932 Mary Hawley-funded public library · Named for Dr. Cyrenius Hard Booth (1820-1871 practice) · Philip Sutherland architecture · Newtown Main Street historic district
Mary Elizabeth Hawley (1857-1930) was Newtown's principal early-20th-century benefactor. She left funds for several town landmarks, of which the Cyrenius H. Booth Library is the most prominent. The library was a posthumous gift; Hawley died in 1930, and the library opened on December 17, 1932 with capacity for 25,000 volumes.
Dr. Cyrenius Hard Booth, the building's namesake and Hawley's maternal grandfather, was a well-known Newtown physician who practiced for fifty years, from 1820 until his death in 1871. Hawley chose the library as a memorial because of her grandfather's stature in 19th-century Newtown.
Architect Philip Sutherland designed the building to fit the residential Main Street streetscape. The interior was completely fireproof for its time and included cork floors and acoustic ceiling tiles. Hawley's quarter-million-dollar trust generated operating income for decades. Many of the original furnishings inside the library were Hawley family pieces, transferred from her own residence.
The library now serves as Newtown's public library and is part of the town's Main Street historic district. The Hawley family's earlier residence at the site, a long-standing Newtown family seat associated with the Hawley and Booth families, was incorporated into the broader gift; the legend below describes patrons' association of the upper-floor activity with Mary Hawley herself.
Sources
Newtown locals attribute the library's gentle haunting to Mary Hawley, Newtown's principal benefactor and the woman who funded the building's construction. The library incorporates many of her family's belongings, and the original portion of the building includes spaces that once belonged to the Hawley family residence on the Main Street property.
Reports cluster on the upper floor. Long-term patrons and staff describe sensing a presence, glimpsing shadowy figures in the corner of the eye, and, in older accounts before the addition, encountering the figure of a woman associated by tradition with Hawley herself. The upper floor is no longer publicly accessible; it was closed off when the library expanded with a building addition in the 1990s.
Reports have tapered since the upper floor was secured. The library presents itself as a working public library rather than as a haunted attraction; the lore circulates primarily through long-time Newtown residents and the Newtown Bee's local coverage.
Notable Entities
Visit the Cyrenius H. Booth Library during open hours. The 1932 Philip Sutherland-designed building was constructed as a memorial to Mary Hawley's grandfather, a 19th-century Newtown physician, and includes Hawley's original furnishings throughout. Ask staff about the historical marker and the library's connection to the Hawley family.
Combine a library visit with a walk along Newtown's Main Street historic district, which includes the historic Town Hall and the Newtown Meeting House. Self-guided walks can use the Newtown Historical Society's marker route.
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