Mrs. Emma Knox Kenan established the library at the request of school superintendent W.W. Benson in a small cloak room of the Geneva School. It was financed by subscriptions, book rentals, and fund raisers. The property where the library now stands was purchased in 1927. The Military Club housed the library until it was damaged by a flood on March 15, 1929, and destroyed by fire in 1930. Townspeople donated books to reopen the library on Mrs. Kenan’s back porch. The current building was completed in 1931 and opened to the public on January 15, 1932. It was built by J.P. Carter Sr., Mrs. Kenan's son-in-law. The building was financed by local contributions and a matching donation by Lee Ashcraft, a former principal of the Geneva School. Mrs. Kenan remained librarian until February 1938. In 1943, her daughter Rebekah Kenan became librarian and served until her retirement in 1972. In 1975, the Joel Johnson addition to the library doubled its size. In January 2008, an elevator was installed to provide handicap accessibility. The library was listed in the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in 1985.