With the recent closure of Six Nations Public Library, HPL's Bookmobile will change its bi-weekly visits to weekly starting Friday, March 13.
Starting Tuesday, March 17, Court at Rushdale moves to bi-weekly on Tuesdays (10:30am-11am), instead of Fridays.
HPL's original phone number is back in service. Please call 905-546-3200. The 289-779-7588 number, created due to the 2024 cybersecurity incident, is also working.
From March 23 until April 12, Valley Park Community Centre will be closed for renovations, reopening April 13. Pool and changerooms will remain closed until early summer 2026.
Valley Park Branch will remain open during the renovations for your library needs.
As of Monday, March 2, Concession Branch's Living Room and Makerspace areas are closed. (The next nearest Makerspaces are Sherwood and Terryberry Branches.) Seating may be limited at times. Renovations are expected to be completed in late Spring. Thank you for your patience.
As of Monday, March 2, Sherwood Branch's 2nd floor is closed due to renovations. Makerspace, Children and Teen's collection are temporarily available on the 1st floor. All programs will be held in the basement program room. Renovations are expected to be completed in late Spring. Thank you for your patience.
Starting Tuesday February 10, the First Floor Living Room is closed due to renovation preparations. Study and work spaces are available on Floors 2-4. Thank you for your patience.
Please note the following Bookmobile visit updates.
Friday, March 6
Winona: 11am-Noon - Cancelled
Queen Victora: 3-4pm - Cancelled
The accessible washroom at Carlisle Branch is not working. We aim to get it fixed quickly.
When the Town of Hamilton was incorporated in 1833, one of the first orders of business, after a closely fought election where 3 out of the 4 candidates had no opposition (1), was to find a suitable place for the town board to meet. For the first few years they made do with meeting in local taverns, such as Thomas Wilson's inn on the corner of John and Jackson Streets (2). Mr. Wilson had no objection as he was paid quite well for the privilege of having the governing body of Hamilton in his establishment. The accounts for the town list his payment for the rental of the room as £0/7/6 in 1835 (3).
However, a tavern was not the ideal place to conduct the business of the town and in 1835 Council paid Stephenson Woods £2/15/0 for a plan of an Engine House. In 1836 they paid William Hardy £1/5/0 for drawing the specifications for this plan, contracting Scott & Biggart to build the structure. By November 25, 1835, Council had paid a total of £50/0/0 on account for the construction (4). On August 9, 1836, A. Ross & Co. was paid (£2/0/0) for painting the Engine House (5) and council soon moved in, sharing quarters with the fire department and with the cells in the basement, to conduct the city's business from this more suitable environment.
