The Haskell Free Library and Opera House has two different addresses.
Both addresses are correct, and either one will take you to the same building.
The only thing that matters is from which way you are approaching.
You see, the Haskell Free Library and Opera House is located astride the US-Canada border.
Being border towns, Derby Line and Stanstead share many peculiaritieswhich we will come to shortly.
But first, lets draw our attention to this singular building.
The Haskell Free Library & Opera House straddles the US-Canada border.
The row of potted plants mark the international border.
Over the decades, the library has became a hub where residents from both countries meet and interact.
But in recent years some have tried to exploit the borders relative porousness.
After the September 11 attacks, authorities began tightening the security on the porous border.
A US Homeland Security vehicle sits outside the library, monitoring the entrance 24 hours a day.
The Haskell library is just one of six buildings that straddle the border line.
While the street itself is in Canada, the houses south of it are in the United States.
So whenever Canusas American residents pull out of their driveways, they essentially leave the United States.
Once there was a post office on Canusa Avenue serving both countriesthe world’s only international post office.
The US-Canada Border at Derby Line, Vermont, USA.
Photo credit:Nekonomist/Flickr
Both Derby Line and Stanstead share the same water system.
Derby Line’s sewage makes a cross-border trip for treatment.
Much of the towns middle-aged or older population, thus, hold dual citizenship.
Photo credit: Christian Science Monitor/Getty Images.
Photo credit:Stan Hieronymus/Flickr
Photo credit:Wikimedia
Sources:BBC/Wikipedia/Wikipedia/Canada’s Historic Places/NY Times
