The Somerset County Library System was formed in 1967 when the Princess Anne Public Library and the Lilyan Stratton Corbin Memorial Library in Crisfield joined together under one Board of Library Trustees. Today, the System includes a third branch in Ewell.
The first library in Crisfield was organized about 1910. Its first location was a storeroom and by 1923 it had moved into the newly acquired City Hall. In 1928, Lilyan Stratton Corbin, a native of the Crisfield area and former actress, died in an automobile accident near her New Jersey home. Her husband, Alfred O. Corbin, later visited the city library and was impressed by the valuable service it offered the community. He then selected and purchased a site on East Main Street for a new library as a memorial to his wife.
The Lilyan Stratton Corbin Memorial Library was dedicated in 1930. Designed by Mr. Corbin’s son, John, the building is an excellent example of neo-classical architecture and continues to provide a valuable service to the residents of Crisfield.
The Princess Anne Library was housed in the town’s railway station from 1914 until 1959 when Mrs. Katherine Seigler and Mrs. Marie Moore donated a building on East Prince William Street as a memorial to their parents, Charles and Clara Hall Speights. Build in 1860 and expanded in the 1880s, the building served as the lecture room of the Manokin Presbyterian Church for nearly one hundred years. The present building on Beechwood Street was dedicated in 1988.
Mission Statement:
The Somerset County Library System promotes learning by providing materials, services, and access to information that enrich our community and excite the imagination.
