In 1888, Mrs. Lemira Gillett promised to build a library for the citizens of Elkhart if the town was voted dry for three years. After that was done, townspeople met in 1891 to form a Library Association, and the library was first established in a room in the Gillett Building, with Mrs. Gillett paying for the rent, shelves, and furnishings. She also gave $1,000, with the interest to be used for upkeep. In 1893, the library opened to the public with 214 volumes, and by 1904 it had acquired 829 books. After Mrs. Gillett's death, her daughter, Miss Jessie Gillett, took over her mother's plans and required that a two mill tax be levied for the library's support, that six directors be elected with three being women, and that the library be open to the public at least three hours, two days a week. When these conditions were met, the library legally became the property of the town in 1902, and Miss Gillett built the present library as a memorial to her mother. The building was completed in 1904 and formally dedicated in May of that year.