History:
Crosby Library opened September 3, 1959, as part of a demonstration program through the efforts of the citizens of Crosby and the Mississippi Library Commission. Volunteers Julie Molloy, Lynn Rushing and Marcia Reeves ran the library the first year. Mary Stewart Jones was paid by the Commission to coordinate the libraries in Amite and Wilkinson Counties. The town of Crosby began funding the library in 1961. Mary Jane Pruett became the first librarian and was able to persuade the St. Regis Pulp and Paper Company to build a combination library and Marshall's office in 1962. The library moved to its present location in 1966.
At one time, Crosby had about 1200 residents; today there are approximately 450. Many of the workers lived in company owned houses. Several of these charming homes are still standing and occupied. At its zenith, Crosby had two doctors, a movie theater, a pharmacy, a bank, a post office, a small airport, several churches and a school that offered piano and ballet in its curriculum. It also had a mega-store that sold hardware, dry goods and meat. The Crosby Lumber and Manufacturing Company was sold first to St. Regis in 1965 and later became part of Masonite. The last owner was Southern Lumber Company before the mill closed in 1989. The library is the last of Crosby's past still in operation.
