Located at 205 N. Memorial.
The library in it’s earliest
form started in 1855 with 40 members and 400 volumes.
Among the first trustees was John G. Nicolay, then editor of a local newspaper and later to become personal secretary to President Abraham Lincoln. The library had several locations around the square until this building was completed in 1907.
Andrew Carnegie donated $7000 for the present facility in 1906.
Mrs. Chauncy Higbee, wife of a local Judge donated the lot for the new building as well as pictures and cork carpeting for the children’s room. The building was opened to the public on May 9th, 1907. In 1937 Fred Jones, formerly of Pike County, bequeathed 5,000 volumes from his personal library, and he also gave $25,000 to construct an annex to house them. Frank Jones, his brother, was married to Nellie Grant Sartoris, who was General Grants daughter. Because of this connection, the Library has several items relating to the Grant family. Today the library has 23,000 volumes and 1634 members. It provides home bound book service, cassettes, has an interlibrary loan program, large print books, magazines, microfilm with a reader and printer, paperback exchange, reference materials, talking books, videos, audio books, internet access, genealogy material
and story hour. In one of the Library nooks stands a grandfather clock made by Thomas Jackson, a Horologist from London England. The clock was made in the early 1700′s making it over 300 years old.
Contact
Sara Rudd
Phone
217-285-2200
