The VHS occupied Room 9 on the first floor of the new State House for 27 years, from roughly 1859 until 1886. Unfortunately, the space was cramped and the State House was not heated in the winter because state business was conducted from officials' homes. The VHS library was virtually useless for four to five months a year, and uncomfortable for an even longer period. In March of 1873, Charles Reed, who was simultaneously the state and VHS librarian, went to the library where he caught cold and died three days later.