---THIS VIRTUAL CACHE REQUIRES YOU TO ENTER A BUILDING. PLEASE NOTE THE LIMITED OPENING HOURS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE TRAVELLING LONG DISTANCES. Check the Haskell Free Library and Opera House website, or call ahead with any questions. Phone numbers (Canadian and US area codes) are listed below.
---IMPORTANT!! AVOID PROBLEMS with US Customs and Border Protection and the Canada Border Services Agency! READ the rules for entry listed below depending on the country from which you are approaching this cache. (RULES FOR ENTRY section below)
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I have long been of the belief that the most appropriate places for virtual caches are unique locations of interest where physical caches are either not appropriate and/or not allowed at all. (Geocaching.com help agrees; their inspiration tips suggest to: "Think of a place where a physical cache will not work well.")
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House, **ON** the shared border of Canada and the United States of America, is most certainly one of these places. For border security reasons, (there have been previous incidents of cross-border smuggling that used this building and its features) there is no doubt that this is not an appropriate location for a physical cache, no matter how small.
That being said, I am confident you will agree that this location, some of its various rooms actually split by an international border, is a unique, must-see, location of interest.
I have been holding onto this idea since the first set of Virtual Rewards were issued, waiting for my chance to highlight this unique location. When I received this Virtual Cache in March, I hurried to write the cache page. I am excited to finally be able to submit it for publication with the changing rules allowing for visitors once again.
Beyond the sheer uniqueness of this location, this building, for me, is a symbol of everlasting friendship between two nations and our peoples who celebrate many, many shared values. These days, I am hono(u)red to be able to showcase this location which truly focuses on what unites us - here, in more ways than one.
For those who would like to turn this visit into a guided tour of the building (including the Opera House), tours can be arranged in advance ($5/person aged 12+) by booking at https://haskellopera.com/book-a-tour/. Visites guidées disponibles aussi en français.
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As of Wednesday, November 8, 2023 (UPDATED), the opening hours are:
- Sunday/Dimanche: CLOSED/FERMÉ
- Monday/Lundi: CLOSED/FERMÉ
- Tuesday/Mardi: 10am-5pm
- Wednesday/Mercredi: 10am-5pm
- Thursday/Jeudi: 10am-5pm
- Friday/Vendredi: 10am-5pm
- Saturday/Samedi: 10am-4pm
RULES FOR ENTRY TO THE BUILDING:
IF YOU ARE COMING FROM THE USA: Enter using the main entrance. DO NOT CROSS INTO CANADA outside of the building at any time.
IF YOU ARE COMING FROM CANADA: As there is no entrance to the building on the Canadian side, all visitors must use the main entrance located in the United States to access the building. Visitors from Canada are permitted to enter the United States door without needing to report to customs by using a prescribed route. Park in Canada and walk along the sidewalk of rue Church (Church Street). You MUST return to Canada immediately upon leaving the building using the same route. Canadians who follow these instructions will NOT need their Canadian passport.
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The Haskell Free Library and Opera House (FR: Bibliothèque et salle d'opéra Haskell) is a Victorian building that straddles the border between the United States of America and Canada, in Stanstead, Quebec and Derby Line, Vermont, respectively.
The Opera House opened on June 7, 1904, having deliberately been built on the international border.
The library has two different addresses: 93 Caswell Avenue, Derby Line, Vermont, and 1 rue Church (Church Street), Stanstead, Quebec; two different zip/postal codes (USA: 05830 and Canada: J0B 3E2) and two different telephone area codes (Vermont, USA: +1-802-873-3022 and Quebec, Canada +1-819-876-2471) because of its shared location in its two respective countries.
The library collection and the opera stage are located in Stanstead, Quebec, Canada but the main entrance and most opera seats are located in Derby Line, Vermont, USA. Because of this, the Haskell Free Library and Opera House is sometimes called "the only library in the U.S.A. with no books" and "the only opera house in the U.S.A. with no stage". There is no entrance from Canada; however, there is an emergency exit on the Canadian side of the building.
A thick black line runs beneath the seats of the opera house and diagonally across the center of the library's reading room to mark the Canada-USA border. The stage and half of the seats are in Canada, the remainder of the opera hall is in the USA.
It was declared a heritage building by both countries in the 1970s and 1980s. The Haskell Free Library and Opera House has the desgination of National Historic Site of Canada; is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places; and is listed on the Quebec Cultural Heritage Directory (Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec).
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LOGGING INSTRUCTIONS: To log this virtual cache as found:
1) Visit the appropriate waypoint (USA or Canada) depending on your country of approach (See additional waypoints). From this location, take a photo of yourself (face not required) or a personal item along with the international boundary marker along the sidewalk visible from that location, and post it to your log. (Fun bonus: this will give us an idea of how many visitors are coming from either side of the border). BE AWARE OF THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER!
2) Then, following the RULES FOR ENTRY instructions above, ENTER the Haskell Free Library and Opera House AND post a photo (to their Found It log) of themselves (face NOT required) or a personal item straddling one of the visible border demarcation lines INSIDE the building. Both the person/personal item AND the line must be visible in order for the photo to be acceptable as proof of your physical visit to the location. Logs without photo WILL be deleted. (I am not asking you to send me emails with answers - just post your personal photo to the log of your visit. It's simple, and out of respect for those who complete the requirements, I will not hesitate to delete logs that don't.)
P.S. Once INSIDE THE BUILDING, you may have as much fun as we have had stepping back and forth between countries to your heart's content. (DO NOT do this outside... the border officers don't find this amusing, and it is illegal....)
P.P.S. I have spent too much time brainstorming the cache name. I have settled on the one chosen, and would love to read your comments about the choice (did you get the pun? Does it work for you?) in your visit log.
Happy (international yet customs-free) caching!
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Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.