Chestnut Hill Library
Movie Mondays!
Monday, July 11th, 2022, 5:00 -7:00 PM EST
Featured film is Good Sam, an adaptation of the novel Good Sam by Dete Meserve. Join us for movies in our air-conditioned meeting room. Movies range from blockbusters and historical and contemporary works. All movies are rated no higher than PG13.
STAR TREK: A TEMPORAL EVENT
Wednesday, July 13th, 4:30-6:30 PM EST
Join Mr. Derrek McLean, our own Star Fleet Officer, who will discuss all things in the Star Trek multiverse, with a Q & A session, prizes, giveaways, games, and more! Costumes are encouraged. To save your spot, contact Ms. Claire Hand, Adult/Teen Librarian at handc@freelibrary.org
Medicare Awareness Workshop
Monday, July 18th, 2022, 1:00-3:00 PM EST
Learn about current Medicare benefits and have your questions answered. Ms. Monique Scott from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will lead the workshop. Attend this event on Zoom or in-person at Chestnut Hill Library. To attend this workshop on Zoom, register in advance at https://freelibrary-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrf-ihrT0vGNZ5W7rnP76qv02Iza6-1xuo . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the session. To attend in-person, contact Ms. Claire Hand, Adult/Teen Librarian at handc@freelibrary.org.
Movie Mondays!
Monday, July 18th, 2022, 5:00 -7:00 PM EST
Featured film is The Imitation Game, an adaptation of the novel by Alan Turing. Join us for movies in our air-conditioned meeting room. Movies range from blockbusters and historical and contemporary works. All movies are rated no higher than PG13.
Author Talk: Mr. P. W. Hand Discusses Diversity in Modern Literature
Wednesday, July 20th, 2022, 5:30-7:30 PM EST
Mr. P. W. Hand, an author of espionage and futuristic fiction will talk about diversity in literature. Attend this discussion on Zoom or in-person at Chestnut Hill Library. To attend on Zoom, register in advance at https://freelibrary-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwuce-rpz0uHNYvlnlMzD0KxS4HNMI4zmui . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the event. To attend in-person, contact Ms. Claire Hand, Adult/Teen Librarian at handc@freelibrary.org.
Planting for Well-Being
Tuesday, July 26th, 10:30 AM- 12:00 PM EST
Ms. Grace Wicks, a local Chestnut Hill gardener will lead a discussion and activities about planting vegetables and other edible plants. Topics include microgreens, container growing, homemade teas and jasmine water. This event will be held in the library's meeting room. To save your spot, please contact Ms. Claire Hand, Adult/Teen Librarian at handc@freelibrary.org.
Author Talk: Mr. Martin Wiley Discusses Having Difficult Conversations With Your Children
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022, 6:00-7:30 PM EST
Mr. Martin Wiley, author and poet, will talk about having difficult conversations with your children. Mr. Wiley published Just/More. To save your spot, contact Ms. Claire Hand at handc@freelibrary.org.
Movie Mondays!
Monday, July 25th, 2022, 5:00 -7:00 PM EST
Featured film is The boy who harnessed the wind, an adaptation of Malawian children’s book by William KamKwamba. Join us for movies in our air-conditioned meeting room. Movies range from blockbusters and historical and contemporary works. All movies are rated no higher than PG13.
Movie Mondays!
Monday, August 1st, 2022, 5:00 -7:00 PM EST
Featured film is A River Runs Through It, an adaptation of novel by Norman Maclean. Join us for movies in our air-conditioned meeting room. Movies range from blockbusters and historical and contemporary works. All movies are rated no higher than PG13.
Movie Mondays!
Monday, August 8th, 2022, 5:00 -7:00 PM EST
Featured film is The Life Ahead (Italian: La vita davanti a sé) starring Sophia Loren , an adaptation of the 1975 novel The Life Before Us by Romain Gary. Join us for movies in our air-conditioned meeting room. Movies range from blockbusters and historical and contemporary works. All movies are rated no higher than PG13.
Plant Cuttings Swaps!
Wednesdays, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Stop by the Chestnut Hill Library's atrium to drop off a plant cutting from your collection or from nature, and select a new one to take home! You may also browse our new horticulture collection, unique to Free Library branches and explore the library's garden. While the Plant Swap Station is Open whenever the branch is Open, on Wednesdays from 2-4 there are dedicated volunteers present to help identify cuttings and swap plant care tips!
| Sunday | Closed |
| Monday | 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
| Tuesday | 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. |
| Wednesday | 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
| Thursday | 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. |
| Friday | 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. |
| Saturday | Closed |
Upcoming Closures
- Mon., Sep. 5 : Closed Labor Day
- Mon., Oct. 10 : Closed Indigenous People Day
- Fri., Nov. 11 : Closed Veterans Day
- Thu., Nov. 24 : Closed Thanksgiving Day
Services By Appointment
Services
- Wi-Fi
- Reference Services
- Book Drop
- Browse Shelves
- Computer Use
- Materials / Holds Pick Up
- Printing Services
Facilities
- Baby changing station
- Bicycle rack
- Book drop box
- Computers for public use
- Electrical outlets available
- Photocopier (black/white)
- Printing (black/white)
- Public restrooms
- Street parking (metered)
- Water fountain
- Wireless internet access (wi/fi)
About
Located a half-block north of Bethlehem Pike in the middle of a lovely garden, the library is just beyond the end of the 23 route. facebook.com/FLPChestnutHill/
History
The first inhabitants of the Chestnut Hill area were the Delaware Indians. One of their leaders, Chief Tedyuscung, is immortalized in a statue in nearby Fairmount Park overlooking Wissahickon Creek. The Indians sold this section of their territory to William Penn on July 14, 1683.
The area's first white settlers were religious dissenters from Holland who were attracted to Penns Woods by the tolerance of its gentle leader. The name Chestnut Hill first appeared in a deed of 1711. Although there were no more Chestnut trees on the hill than anywhere else, the now almost extinct trees gave the town its name.
To serve the schools and the community, philanthropist Henry Williams built the Christian Hall Library in 1872 at 8711 Germantown Avenue. Williams named the library Christian Hall because he did not wish anything to go on in the two-story building and subsequent annex that would be inconsistent with the word "Christian." Singing, elocution classes, magic lantern shows, art lectures, church fairs and temperance meetings were permitted.
At first the library was only a reading room, and books were issued only to subscribers. But after 1876, Mr. Williams was persuaded to allow anyone to take books without charge. In 1897, the trustees of the Christian Hall Library decided that the library would be of greater benefit to the community as a branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, and so they granted the grounds to the city.
A new library building was built in 1907, funded by Andrew Carnegie and on the same site as the Christian Hall Library. In 1991, a modern meeting room addition was added. The library was renovated in 1999 as part of the "Changing Lives" campaign, which brought Internet service to every branch. Active support is provided by the Friends of the Chestnut Hill Library, founded in the 1970s.