The following Bookmobile stops are cancelled:
Stoney Creek Arena at 10 am
Discovery Centre at 1:30 pm
Millgrove at 3:30 pm
Apologies for this inconvenience.
The following Bookmobile stops are cancelled:
Stoney Creek Arena at 10 am
Discovery Centre at 1:30 pm
Millgrove at 3:30 pm
Apologies for this inconvenience.
The washroom at Freelton Branch is not working. We aim to get it fixed quickly.
From August 18-19, accessible parking spots at the back of the building will not be available due to concrete and perimeter walkway repairs. From August 20-22, the main entrance from the back of the building will not be available. Please use the sidewalk on the side of the Branch to enter through the front entrance (off Rymal Road East) and gain access to the back parking lot. Thank you for your understanding.
Self-Serve Access is not available until after 1 pm today, Friday, August 8. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Printing and photocopying are not working at Dundas Branch. We're working to get these working again as soon as possible.
Filming will take place near the Locke Branch from August 4 to 8, which will impact traffic flow and parking. We apologize for the inconvenience.
The parking lot elevator at Terryberry Branch is not working. Members will need to use the accessible ramp at the Mohawk entrance and the inner elevator. We're working to get it fixed quickly.
Please note that the audio volume levels on our public computers are having issues. The estimated time of disruption is unknown at this time. Thank you for your patience.
The accessibility ramp at Mount Hope Branch is damaged. The handrail is not available. The ramp will not be available while being repaired. We aim to fix it quickly.
The building was described as follows: "[t]he hall's thirty feet of frontage facing on James Street contained two entrances, each gained by a short flight of steps. As an architectural gesture a small square tower and dome surmounted the hall. On the ground floor and in the basement a brisk trade was carried on in butter and eggs, poultry and meat. The upper story was an open hall with the city clerk's office at the rear, and opposite, at the east end of the building, a stage for local and travelling talent" (14). The Hamilton Spectator noted "[f]or a while the whole second flat of the building was used as a public hall as well as a council chamber ... old citizens declare that there were sliding doors between the council chamber and the public hall. Probably the sliding doors were put in some years after the building was put up, when the growing dignity of the town demanded that its civic dignitaries should have an apartment all to themselves The public hall was for years the only suitable place in the town for the holding of public meetings and entertainments. Many a dramatic performance - amateur and professional - was given there, and lectures, concerts, public civic meetings, political gatherings, and panoramas were held in that old hall" (15).
The hall was no stranger to political infighting. In 1855, the Spectator reported that Mayor Magill had hoped to celebrate the fall of Sevastopol with a public celebration coinciding with a visit from the Governor-General and the Honourable John A. MacDonald. Some members of the public who disliked MacDonald protested the event, and stormed the hall during a council meeting. The leader of the mob, Hamilton Councillor Teddy Brannigan, attempted to speak to the crowd but was stopped by Mayor Magill himself, who placed Brannigan under arrest after the Chief Constable refused. The Mayor read the riot act to the crowd and they dispersed, unwilling to oppose Mayor Magill's will (15).