EAST CRAFTSBURY — The John Woodruff Simpson Memorial Library in East Craftsbury has been awarded the 2026 Preservation Excellence Award by the Vermont State Historic Preservation Office and has been officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The award recognizes the library’s director and board for their work in preservation stewardship, historical documentation and community education, including a multi-year effort that led to the National Register listing.
The National Register nomination, prepared by architectural historian Polly Allen, highlights the library’s extraordinary history, including a period when it held the highest per capita book circulation rates in Vermont.
The designation honors the nearly 60-year tenure of founder Jean Walker Simpson, known locally as “Miss Jean.” In 1921, she converted her family’s former general store into the library, establishing what became a center of arts and civic life in the community.
Simpson served for decades as head librarian, personally curating boxes of books to circulate weekly to families in the town’s rural areas. She was also a driving force behind the local East Hill Players Theatre and area Girl Scout troops.
Allen, the architectural historian who prepared the nomination, said the library continues to reflect Simpson’s vision.
“Every month is a symphony of events and activities that are emphasizing the human connections that Miss Jean Simpson engrained in the fabric and life of the library,” Allen said.
