|
 Zoé Vallé Memorial Library - Chester, NS Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 44° 32.482 W 064° 14.541
20T E 401305 N 4932754
Built in 1850 as a residence for a sea captain, this little Cape Cod eventually became one of the very few libraries with a live-in librarian, as well as a memorial to its one time owner, Zoé Vallé.
Waymark Code: WMRYPK
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Date Posted: 08/23/2016
Views: 3
The Place:
Purchased in 1903 by Zoé Vallé Lightfoot, the cottage became her summer home until her death in Nova Scotia in 1927. It was bequeathed to her sister, who in turn bequeathed it to the the Municipality of Chester. There was one condition on its being given to the Municipality, however. This was that the building be used as a public library and that a caretaker/librarian be appointed to live in and maintain the library. To our knowledge that situation remains in place to this day and this is the only public library in Chester.
In 1904 The Lightfoot Tower was built on the property to enable viewing of the yacht races in Mahone Bay. The top of the tower was lost to a storm in 1918, being replaced with a simple roof. From that time until 1985 the tower deteriorated, in which year it was restored by the Chester Municipal Heritage Society.
The Person:
Zoé Vallé
Zoé Vallé Lightfoot was born Marie Zoé Vallé on November 24, 1849 in St. Genevieve, Missouri. Her great grandfather, Jean Baptiste Vallé, was Commandant of St. Genevieve until the Louisiana territory was transferred to the United States in 1804. Her great, great grandfather, on her mother’s side, was Josiah Bartlett, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Ste. Genevieve began as an agricultural settlement in the late 1740s, on the west bank of the Mississippi River. It was established by French-Canadian habitants. The Vallé family, for example, traces its roots back through Quebec to Pierre La Vallée of Rouen, France. The Vallés, while “holding firmly to their French traditions, including language and religion, embraced ‘modern’ features of life, including an American-style home and American goods brought by steamboat, such as cloth, glass and housewares.”
Zoé’s father, Francois Jules Vallé, made his fortune in iron mining and processing near Ste. Genevieve. Sometime after the Civil War, the family moved into a large home on Washington Avenue in St. Louis, where Mr. Vallé got involved in other businesses such as insurance. The Mississippi River, which flows by both St. Louis and Ste. Genevieve was an important corridor for trade and transportation.
Zoé married Alfred Lightfoot, of Pass Christian, Mississippi on the Gulf coast, not far from the mouth of the River. Zoé Vallé was thirty-eight when she married Alfred Lightfoot. A newspaper announcement from the Nov. 17, 1887 gives us a glimpse into the event: “At 5 o’clock yesterday afternoon Mrs. Zoé Vallé, daughter of Mrs. Jules Vallé, was married to Mr. Alfred Lightfoot, a young lawyer of Birmingham, Alabama. The Rev. Dr. Robert performed the wedding ceremony in the presence of the family. Mr. Amadee Vallé gave the bride away. She wore a Parisian costume of rich blue silk, with garniture of point lace, and on her arm, the groom’s present, a bracelet of sapphires and diamonds. Mr. Lightfoot and his bride left at once for Pass Christian, where the groom’s early life was spent, and will go from there to their home in Birmingham, Alabama.” The couple lived in Birmingham and then in Manhattan. Records from Ellis Island in New York reveal they lived at 62 West 39th Street, near Bryant Park. Alfred passed away in 1911 and now rests with Zoé in the Vallé family plot in St. Louis.
In 1903, Zoé purchased the Chester property that would become the Library, in her own name. The History of Chester prepared by the Chester Branch of the Women’s Institute of Nova Scotia states that Zoé was among the first summer visitors to Chester to buy a property here. They also mention that she had a house in Bordeaux, France. The Ellis Island records also note that Zoé travelled back to Manhattan in 1905 on the S.S. Rosalind, a steamer that did a run from St. John’s and Halifax to New York. On this trip she was accompanied by seventeen year-old Lionel Lordly of Chester, who was on his way to visit his uncle, Dr. James E. M. Lordly, who lived on West 84th Street. It is unknown whether Zoé knew Dr. Lordly before coming to Chester or became acquainted afterwards. The Lordly family property was located just across Central Street from Zoé’s house. A cane that still remains in the Library, bearing an inscription to Dr. Lordly from his Lodge brothers, seems to indicate they were good friends.
From the Zoé Vallé Memorial Library
Zoé Vallé Library
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The Zoé Vallé Library is a Cape Cod style home constructed circa 1850 perched on a knoll at the intersection of Regent and Central streets in the small community of Chester, Nova Scotia. The Municipal Heritage Designation applies to the buildings and surrounding property.
HERITAGE VALUE
The Zoé Vallé Library is valued for its age, architecture, historical associations and its continued use as a public library.
Built circa 1850, this home turned residence/library was originally constructed for a local sea captain, as a dwelling in the Cape Cod style of architecture. The symmetrical front façade is on the ridgeline of this gabled house facing Regent Street and consists of a central door with a transom window and sidelights flanked by a pair of 6 over 6 double hung windows on each side.
The inclusion of a transom window and sidelights in the construction of the main entrance marks a departure from the earliest examples of the Cape Cod style; however, the noticeable lack of other ornamentation excluding the short return eaves is more common to the style. A second variation is the presence of two chimneys at the peak of the roof arranged symmetrically, instead of the single centered chimney more common of simpler Cape Cod homes.
Two small additions have been made to the home during its history: a small lean was added to the rear elevation and a small cross gabled piece added to the home in the early 1930s. The interior layout of the home has remained relatively unchanged; beyond the main entrance lies a formal central entrance hall flanked by paired rooms ending in a small stair case, giving access to the 1/2 floor above.
The home was purchased for a summer home in 1903 by Mrs. Zoé Vallé Lightfoot, a wealthy American who had previously summered in the area with her husband. The most substantial addition to the property, Lightfoot Tower, was built in this period. Lightfoot Tower is a three storey octagonal observation tower with an open rail covered deck, constructed to allow the Lightfoots to watch the yacht races in the harbour.
When Zoé Vallé passed away in 1927 she bequeathed her Chester home to her sister, who subsequently offered it to the municipality on the condition it be furnished and operate as a public library, or revert to the future family heirs. A committee was formed, including some of Chester's prominent summer residents such as Frederick L. Fowke, former Liberal Member of Parliament under Wilfred Laurier, who lobbied for the homes adoption by the municipality as a public library.
In August of 1928 the Zoé Vallé Library was designated at a ceremony attend by both local and summer residents; many of the latter were very prominent individuals, such as Professor John Grier Hibben, President of Princeton University, and Bishop John G. Murray, head of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States.
Although the home was designated as the Zoé Vallé Library in 1928 it was also to remain a residence and a caretaker/librarian was appointed. To provide the family with more space, as most of the lower floor was dedicated to the library, the small cross gabled addition was made to the home in the early 1930s by Harry Baker.
In addition to being used as a public library, the home also became the meeting place of the Chester Branch of the Women’s Institute of Nova Scotia. The group met regularly in the "Club Room" and organized various community projects, including the preservation of the library itself until the group disbanded in 1978.
Since 1978 the continuing support of the community has ensured the Zoé Vallé Library continues to operate as Chester's sole library and it remains under the stewardship of a live-in librarian, making it a unique setting for a public library, while preserving its historical form. The historical associations related to the library's origins as a gift from a summer resident, Zoé Vallé, continue to be preserved as her personal collection of books remain in the library, whose motto is inscribed on a commemorative plaque and reads "Here She Still Welcomes You."
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
The character-defining elements of the Zoé Vallé Library that relate to its Cape Cod style architecture include:
- 1 1/2 storey wooden shingle construction;
- symmetrical front facade on the ridgeline end, with pairs of 6 over 6 windows flanking a central door with a seven pane transom window and six pane sidelights with a panel bottom;
- moderate pitch gable roof with the ridgeline facing Regent Street;
- small return eaves on the original main gable roof;
- small roof overhangs;
- two chimneys symmetrically placed at the peak of the main gabled roof;
- cross gabled addition.
The character-defining elements of Zoé Vallé Library that relate to its use as a public library include:
- continued usage as a public library and residence;
- containing the personal book collection that belonged to Zoé Vallé Lightfoot.
The interior character-defining elements of the Zoé Vallé Library include:
- formal central hall floor plan;
- commemorative plaque for Zoé Vallé;
- the intact "Club" room;
- original librarian's desk.
The other character-defining elements of the Zoé Vallé Library that relate to Lightfoot Tower include:
- three storey octagonal wooden construction;
- wooden shingles;
- open rail covered observation deck;
- octagonal roof;
- wooden spiral stair case around the exterior of the tower;
- second storey entranceway to access the interior of the tower.
From Historic Places Canada
Year it was dedicated: 1928
Location of Coordinates: At the library
Related Web address (if available): [Web Link]
Type of place/structure you are waymarking: Library Building
|
Visit Instructions:- Please post a comment and distinct photo.
- A "visited" only remark will be deleted.
- A "visited" remark by the 'Waymark Owner' at the time of posting is not appreciated and won't be accepted. If visiting at another time a "Visit" would be acceptable.
|