The 1937 Main Building

The Collinsville library began after the president of the Collinsville Study Club, now the Woman's Club, appointed a library project committee on October 15, 1915, and it opened on August 26, 1916 with a single bookcase of some three or four shelves. On July 23, 1923, the City Council of Collinsville approved an ordinance providing tax support for the library through a 1.8-mil tax, and on August 1, 1923, its name was officially changed to Collinsville Memorial Public Library in memory of soldiers who fell in the late war, as suggested by the Royal Purple Temperance and Library Society. After numerous moves, the library purchased the Stephen W. Renfro house at 408 West Main Street on September 1, 1927, giving it a home of its own. During the Depression of the 1930s, the library secured a federal public works project grant of $9,000 toward a new building, while the City Council approved the additional funds needed to complete the total cost of $22,392. The two-story home at 408 West Main Street was razed, and the central portion of the present colonial structure was built on the site. Site clearing began on February 6, 1937, horse-powered excavation began on February 24, and the first brick was laid on March 19. The new library was dedicated on August 15, 1937 in observance of the centennial of the platting of Collinsville in 1837, and it opened to public use the next day. On November 11, 1939, the Collinsville Memorial Library became a war memorial when a bronze tablet honoring 15 who lost their lives in World War I was dedicated. On December 5, 1948, another bronze tablet bearing the names of 50 Collinsville men who lost their lives in World War II was dedicated, and a Korean Conflict plaque was later added.

Collinsville, Illinois · United States