Merrick Public Library

The Merrick Public Library houses several special items, including a French writing desk from the Palace of Versailles during the occupancy of Louis XVI (husband of Marie Antoinette), prior to 1792. The desk was originally given to William B. Draper in 1863, as a souvenir from Le Marquis Bernard de Marigny. In 1867, Mr. Draper donated the desk to ‘the inhabitants of Brookfield,’ and it has been on display in the library since 1914, with intermittent periods of storage.