NORTHAMPTON — Thursday marks the 100th anniversary of the inauguration of President Calvin Coolidge, and residents of the Pioneer Valley can mark the occasion by visiting the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum at Forbes Library in Northampton.

Dedicated in 1956, it is unique among libraries named after presidents as it is hosted within a public library — perhaps rather fitting, given that Coolidge himself spent much time in the library while studying to become a lawyer after graduating from Amherst College in 1895.

“He didn’t go the usual route of law school,” said Julie Bartlett Nelson, the archivist who oversees the museum at Forbes Library. “He clerked at a local law firm, then took the bar exam. He could spend hours here studying in the library.”

Some of the furniture from Coolidge’s law office, such as his roll-up desk, are featured in the museum.

In 1898, Coolidge was elected as a city councilor for Ward 2 of Northampton, beginning his climb up the political career ladder. He later became mayor of Northampton, then served as a state senator and Senate president before moving on to become lieutenant governor, governor, U.S. vice president, and then president following the death of his predecessor Warren G. Harding.

Along the walls of the museum are mementos of every step of Coolidge’s ascent. They include newspaper clippings, political cartoons, and even the presidential portraits of Coolidge and his wife, Grace, painted by Howard Chandler Christy.

The library contains several gifts the president received during his time in office, including a war bonnet belonging to the Sioux tribe and numerous nonfiction books on subjects like religion, history and technology.

“Coolidge was a classics major at Amherst,” said Bartlett Nelson. “He could read Latin and Greek, and had books in those languages.”

Of all the material in the museum, Bartlett Nelson estimates that 80% of the material directly belonged to the president, including numerous hats owned by the president that were gifted to him throughout his administration. Bartlett Nelson also said that the library still receives new items every year to add to the collection.

“Stuff still trickles in,” she said.

The museum is located on the second floor of Forbes Library, and is open to the public on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.

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