Derby Line, Vermont, lies slightly north of the 45th parallel, the typical boundary between Canada and the U.S. But its aberrant location—the result of a surveying error—isn’t the only thing that makes the 600-person village unique: Several of its streets flow uninterrupted into Quebec, connecting with avenues in the Canadian town of Stanstead. Instead of an imposing border crossing between Derby Line, VT and Stanstead, Quebec, these two towns place a row of flower pots to designate the international line. DERBY LINE, Vt. — While the Trump administration fortifies the southern border, there’s growing concern over the number of foreigners entering the country illegally across the porous northern border with Canada. The Haskell played a small but important role in 2010 during a period of conflict between locals and Homeland Security officials after a new federal grant program, Operation Stonegarden, brought in dozens of out-of-town police officers to help watch the border. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. © 2020 Atlas Obscura. Matthew Farfan, President of the Board of Trustees, agrees. To enter they have to walk past a series of security cameras on Church Street and then past the U.S. border guard stationed out front. This unusual building straddles two countries. Rotondo appreciates the way in which the building meshes with the landscape. “It was a particularly complex project because they wanted to keep the port operational during construction,” says HGA project architect Tom Clark, AIA. In addition to being functional—that is, delivering a safe, streamlined experience for users—the ports should provide “a dignified entrance into the United States” as well as the best possible value to the federal government. DERBY LINE, Vt. — Parts of the United States border are marked with tall metal fencing.Other stretches are outlined by snaking rivers. But for Canadians it’s a little more complicated, because they technically have to cross the international line, which is demarcated by a cement obelisk and a line of flower pots. Although some people have suggested bringing a border guard into the library, Rumery is holding strong against the idea. Watch this video to find out more about the border along the 49th parallel. All rights reserved. Today, it is one of the only libraries in the world that exists and operates in two countries at once. “Over time, the surface will patina into a soft gray that recalls the region’s covered bridges,” says HGA design principal Victor Pechaty, AIA. (Photo: Kris/CC BY 2.0). See some of our creative patterns here . Church Street connects Derby Line and Stanstead. The port of entry in downtown Derby Line and Stanstead had very few border crossers in recent days. There’s always a border guard planted right out front, sitting in an SUV. (Photo: Outside the Haskell Free Library and Opera House. The librarians try to keep politics out of the cultural center as much as possible, but even they can’t escape the reality of residing on the border. Love Along the Line Menu & Reservations Make Reservations . Over the past several years, national security measures have blocked off the unguarded streets which ran between the U.S. and Canada, and created a new series of checkpoints and regulations. I returned to the United States from my Quebec romp to the great state of Vermont after leaving Canada and answering questions from a border guard who was genuinely curious as to what on Earth I do to have so many different passport stamps (a first, actually). Citizens drank the same water, worked in the same tool factory, played the same sports (primarily curling), fought in the same world wars, and were born in the same hospital in nearby Newport, Vermont. 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