It’s no surprise that Linderman Library ranks high on College Rank’s list of 50 Most Amazing Libraries. One of the most beautiful structures on Lehigh’s campus, it boasts a Victorian rotunda with a striking stained glass skylight and Great Reading Room. 

Named for Lucy Packer Linderman, the oldest child of Lehigh founder Asa Packer, it houses a rare book collection that includes Darwin’s On the Origin of Species and first editions of English and American literature from the 17th to 19th centuries. 

After Lucy died of pneumonia in 1873, Packer donated $500,000 to have the library constructed in her memory, of which $400,000 was set aside for collections and maintenance. The library opened in 1878.  A large addition designed by Lehigh graduates James Wisscher and Theodore Burly was built in 1929. Another two-year renovation project was completed in 2007.

Lehigh lore holds that Lucy’s ghost moves about the stacks.