The Chapel Library at the Esperance Historical Society is a unique collection of books, documents, and other media accumulated by members of the Society over many years.
The library includes special collections featuring local authors, Methodist History, Agricultural Newspapers, The Anti-Rent War, Civil War including much on the US Colored Troops, Business Directories, and gazetteers. In addition, the library has a large genealogical section featuring church records, cemetery records, family histories, and census records. The collection includes a large Schoharie County and NYS History section. One of the special collections is the Kniskern Family Papers, Johann Peter Kniskern was a Palatine immigrant whose name was given to Kniskern’s Dorf, a German farming community, the earliest European settlement in the Town. Featured among many rare documents and letters is the 1729 survey of Kniskern’s Dorf on display.
Visitors can watch a short video presentation that will acquaint the visitor with the history of the area and the creation of the Chapel Library.