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History
| 1833 - 1969 | 1969 - 1974 | 1974 - 1976 | 1976 - Present |
In The Beginning...
The section of South Park Township
known as Library was named because of the presence of a private library
collection in the home of John Moore. Around 1833, John Moore began a fund
to purchase books and subsequently became the first librarian of the new
collection. Other members of the community added to the library, so the
number of volumes grew to about 2,000. This neighborhood group of library
members formed a "Library Society". The last librarian, in this era, was
Samuel Wilson, a blacksmith who stored the collection in his stable.
The First Free Public Library...
South Park Township's
first free public library found its 1960 residence in a room at the end of
Wilson Hall, the site of the Windover Hills United Methodist Church, sponsored
by the Windover Hills Woman's Club. They staffed, funded, and literally
nurtured its growth. Services at the library included children's fiction,
reference materials, adult best sellers, and general fiction. The core
collection was built by donation, a flashback to the historic library in
Library. Membership for children under 16 was free and $1.50 for adult
card holders. Funding was made possible by the Woman's Club through Card
Marathons, which would not have been successful without community support. All this by volunteers, until in 1968, the library was faced with its first of
many subsequent moves.
The Chamber of Commerce gets involved...
The Windover
Hills Woman's Club found it necessary and provident to enlist the help of the
South Park Chamber of Commerce with the move out of the soon-to-be demolished
room at Wilson Hall. The Chamber set up a Township Library Building Fund
and a Library Committee in conjunction with the continuous fund-raising events
of the Woman's Club. With Chamber support, the library would realize, in
1969, a permanent home in a brand-new building next to the Township
Building. However, completion of the new site was not possible by the time
of the move from Wilson Hall. Therefore, the School Board granted the
library the use of a room in Broughton School (Morgan School). Many other
community groups, including the South Park Woman's Club, contributed to the
building fund at this time. In early 1969, the move to Broughton School was
accomplished by volunteers, of course, and a hearty group of Boy Scouts.
| 1833 - 1969 | 1969 - 1974 | 1974 - 1976 | 1976 - Present |
