Early Library History

Washington’s first library was established in 1927 at the urging of the Washington Mother’s Association in the city building on the square.  Some of the most active women in that Association pining for the library’s creation were Harriet Heiple Zinser, Nora Weeks, Flora Hoeflin, and Anna Goddard.  They collected money and acquired some books, while the city contributed the space and $100 per year to the library fund.

As the town grew, the library’s resources needed to grow to accommodate the demand. To keep the building operational, the library held different fund-raising activities, such as bake sales, bazaars, flower shows, and pretty much anything else they could think of. It was only open a couple of days per week, and most of the books in its possession were on loan from the Illinois State Library. In the early years, the library board could never raise more than $500 yearly for its operations.

In 1937, voters were asked for the first time whether they would accept a tax increase to help with the library’s upkeep.  The description of this tax uses a unit of currency that has become almost obsolete: a mill.  A mill is one-tenth of one cent.  Currently, the only place you see a mill used is on gas prices.  The library was asking for a one-half mill tax for library purposes, with the voters of Washington accepting the tax by a 3-1 margin.

With the passage of the tax, the library was able to greatly expand its hours, moving to everyday service, and elect its first trustees. That first board of trustees included Mae Tanton, Louise Linder, Hattie Burkey, Elna Duvall, E.G. Kilby, and Roy Risser. The library enjoyed providing services for the youth of Washington on the square.

By 1944, with Washington’s population rising, the library had become significantly cramped.  Their book inventory had ballooned from an original 1,700 selections to 5,900 in 1944, with no additional space, and their circulation of these titles had doubled.  Their floor space had become totally unworkable for the population, with only one table available for study.  As a result, the library trustees returned to the public with a request to raise the tax to two mills.

The June 6, 1944 election was one of the poorest in Washington’s history in terms of turnout, probably because it occurred on D-Day. However, the tax was carried by a 4-1 margin.

After the war ended, Washington experienced a bit of a renaissance.  The years of scrap iron drives, rubber drives, local soldiers being overseas, and economic restraint, especially in the way of new construction and development (due to wartime government restrictions), were ending.  By the end of 1945, Washington and the rest of the country were ready to take on overdue projects, and a new location for the library was certainly overdue.

In late 1945 the library board put before the public a vote on a new location.  They had decided that a house at 205 South Main Street, at the present site of the entrance to Calvary Way, would be the best site for the library.  The plan was not to raze the house and construct a new building but to use the historic residence as the library.  The vote asked for a 21-cent tax bond per $1,000 evaluation to make the move feasible, and it was soundly defeated by the public.

The severe overcrowding in the city building continued for a few years.  In 1948, the library board took matters into their own hands and announced the purchase of the property at 301 Walnut Street.  The property, at the corner of Walnut and Elm, was the former residence of longtime teacher Miss Mary Italin.  It was “Lot 9” of the original town plat.  After over a year of methodical research and planning, a referendum was passed to the public in December 1949.

Washington voters voted for the bonds to be issued on that December 17, 1949 day, with the “yeas” claiming victory by a 14-vote margin. The new building was a go.  There was still a house on the property, which Frank Hagan purchased and moved in Spring 1950 to the west side of South Wood Street.  With that, ground was broken, and work began swiftly. On December 18, 1950, the new library opened to the public.

The library, designed by architects J. Fletcher Lankton and John K. Ziegle, reflected a strong colonial influence. The library's design would later influence the post office design and become the architectural theme of the city. The bonds were finally paid off in 1959, and with Washington’s continued growth, by 1964, the library was already bursting at the seams.

In 1967, the library purchased the lot directly north of their building to expand their facilities.

The library continued at this location until 2007 when it moved to Five Points Washington. Another article in Washington Rewind covers the details of that move.