Throughout the history of North Dakota, community gathering places have become the heartbeat of small towns, some of those providing customers with a steaming hot cup of coffee and others offering patrons stacks of books to get lost in. Since the late 1800s, the library in Langdon has done just that. Though, as the saying goes, there’s more than meets the eye at the Cavalier County Library, and its rich history is quite the story.

The library dates back to 1887 with the sponsorship of the Women’s Club of the young town of Langdon. It began in Dr. Donovan’s drugstore and served the community as a circulating library. It was well-received and loved by the community and, by 1907, had grown to include 500 volumes on its shelves.

Since its inception, the library has led a largely nomadic existence, moving to various locations in the downtown area, the county courthouse, former elementary school, and Masonic Hall. That all changed in 1988 when the Cavalier County Library finally found its permanent home, a home with plenty of stories of its own! Formerly used as the Burlington Northern Depot, the building was built in 1905, welcoming rail passengers and businessmen to the young town of Langdon. Over the years, the depot was no longer utilized and the building stood vacant. In 1986, plans were made to convert the weathered building into a library. The city built a basement to accommodate the 135-foot-long building, then, two years later, transported it roughly three blocks from its original location. The journey was slow and perilous, but the building arrived and work began on converting it into a library. With the help of nearly 100 people, thousands of books were moved from the Masonic Hall to the reimagined depot. After four days in near-blizzard conditions, the final book was shelved. Additional remodeling followed, and the new library became a source of pride for the community.

For the past 35 years, the library has breathed new life into the depot, which is also home to the Centennial Museum. Located in the basement of the library, the museum showcases northern North Dakota’s rich history and takes visitors on a walk back in time. Through the years, the Cavalier County Library has been a beloved staple for the community and is proof that you can’t judge a book by its cover!