History :
Modale has had a public library since 1928 thanks to the Modale Federated Married Teachers' Club. The first library was located in the City Hall above what is now the U.S. Post Office. The original books were donated and additional money was raised by community plays, bake sales, box suppers, plus card and bingo parties.
Members of the first Modale Library Board were Mr. Art Hansen, Mrs. Ed Eliff, Mrs. Hickman, Mrs. D. D. Wiltse, Mrs. Spenser, Mrs. H. Hansen, Mrs. M. F. Zahner, Mrs. W. W. Sims, and Mrs. Wilhelm. Each of these persons represented a business, club, or the Modale School.
The members of the Modale Federated Married Teachers' Club donated their time to manage the library which was open one day a week. Fred Warner was the first hired librarian, followed by: Mildred Thomas, Alice Imrie, Pearl Jones, Alice Imrie, Dorothy Brandriff, Sharon Johnson, and our current librarian, Margaret Vittitoe.
The town of Modale has always supported the library by providing building space and furnishing utilities. During WWII the library received money through the sale of scrap paper. In the mid 1940s the library began receiving funds from the town of Modale and from Clay Township. In 1964 the library began receiving support from Harrison County through an assessment levied on rural properties which helped fund the six libraries in Harrison County.
Modale Public Library celebrated its 50th Anniversary in October of 1978 with an Open House at the Legion Hall. Marjorie Jackson, who had been a member of the club that founded the library, came to the open house from Troy Grove, IL. She was able to tell about the library's early history when the Federated Married Teachers' Club was operating the library.
In March of 1980 the community of Modale celebrated the opening of a combination Modale Firehall and Library. The new library has three times more space for books than did the old library which was located at the top of a flight of stairs over the Post Office. This building continues today as a place for our community residents to take advantage of the services of the library.
