History:
In the 1800`s, the people in the town of Yorkville built a “Reading Room” for $700. “The new hall is 22×40 feet in area, has an eight-foot platform across the back of the building, overlooking the little stream, under the big walnut shade tree, and this is going to be a mighty cozy place to sit on hot summer afternoons and read and think and dose.”
This “Reading Room” was built next to the Yorkville National Bank on Route 47. The “Reading Room” also served for other events; oyster suppers, court cases, debates, Easter socials, and bible studies, to name a few. The Yorkville Women`s Club held their first meeting at the “Reading Room” on October 14, 1911.
The “Reading Room” was “…furnished with piano, tables, chairs, hard-coal burners, clock, pictures, and a variety of papers and magazines”. The people of the town would be able to sit and read and relax. Twenty-two dollars was spent for a year`s supply of reading materials, including one Chicago daily and several periodicals.
On December 4, 1915, the Yorkville Women`s Club opened the Yorkville Public Library in the former “Reading Room”. “The Yorkville Public Library will be formally opened on Saturday, December 4, and will be open afternoon and evening. Thereafter, it will be open to the public every Wednesday and everyone is welcome. Good reading matter will be on tables and anyone will be welcome to read any of the magazines. There are more than 500 volumes in the library at the present…no town the size of Yorkville should be without a good library.”
So began 50 very fruitful and interesting years of library service.
