The Building That Exists in Two Countries At Once

The Haskell Free Library and Opera House has a curious line painted through the building. What does this line signify? One side of the line lies in Quebec, Canada, while the other is in the state of Vermont in the United States. Because of this, the building has two main entrances on either side of the border. The building also has two different addresses and telephone area codes. Further, because of the layout of the building, it's jokingly referred to as "the only library in the U.S. with no books and the only opera house in the U.S. with no stage" (the library and the stage are on the Canadian side, while most of the audience of the opera sits in the U.S.). If you're wondering, people inside can freely cross the line marking the border, but if they then exit the building, they are required to report to Customs, but otherwise are free to traverse one side of the building or the other without such notification. Intentionally built on the border in the early 20th century, the building was placed such as Mrs. Martha Stewart Haskell and Col. Horace "Stewart" Haskell wanted both Canadians and U.S. citizens to have access to the library and opera house. Author: Daven Hiskey Host: Daven Hiskey Producer: Pacience Hiskey