Where Stories Live: The Journey of Wilbraham’s Library
- David Bourcier
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
The origins of the Wilbraham Library trace back to 1782, when a group of residents purchased shares to establish and support a local lending library. The first librarian, Solomon Warriner, kept the collection in his home at 635 Main Street, making it the earliest known location of the town’s library. That historic house stood for nearly two centuries before being demolished in February 1963.
The Wilbraham Free Public Library was officially founded on April 4, 1892, when voters at Town Meeting appropriated $25 and the year’s dog tax to support a free library. In its early days, the library was located in the Selectmen’s room near the Boston Road railroad overpass in North Wilbraham, open to the public just four hours each Wednesday.
Its first trustees were Henry W. Cutler, Jason Butler, and Emeline Collins. Early librarians included Mabel Gates, Eunice Bell, and Minnie Morgan. In 1898, the library moved into the North Wilbraham Post Office, where hours were expanded to weekday afternoons and evenings. Patrons would browse a catalog, fill out a request slip, and have books brought from the back room by staff. Around this time, local mailman Fred Green began delivering library books along his stage route. Paid a modest stipend of about $10 a year, he continued this service until 1913.
By the early 1900s, the library’s collection grew slowly. In some years, only a handful of volumes were added, while others saw more robust growth. Around 1907, librarian Eunice Bates began housing the collection in her own home near the Collins Inn. She served until 1912, when Lelia Atchinson took over. However, the books remained at Bates’ residence until 1913, when the library moved into the Henry Cutler house, a gift to the town through Cutler’s will. That June, during Wilbraham’s 150th anniversary celebration, the town held a dedication for the new library building on Boston Road, near where the Fire Department stands today.
The building also housed town offices. In 1914, library hours expanded, circulation surpassed 4,000 volumes a year, and a branch library opened on Saturday afternoons. Deposits of books were regularly made at public schools. By 1915, with help from the State Library Commission, the town’s first card catalog was completed. Circulation statistics were now kept separately for the main library and branch locations, which sometimes operated out of schools or private homes. Residents like Miss Ruth Calkins and Mrs. Charles Hitchcock even hosted library services in their homes and received small stipends for doing so.
During World War I, the library supported the war effort by collecting and sending 480 books overseas and to military hospitals, with postage funded by the sale of old magazines and newspapers. In 1921 and 1922, trustees began noting the need to discard books due to diphtheria and other infectious diseases, an early example of how public health impacted library operations.
Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the collection and library services steadily expanded. Community organizations like the Red Cross and the Study Club (now the Wilbraham Women’s Club) met in the building. A children’s room opened in the 1930s, and librarian Jennie Abbott was eventually able to hire an assistant. Abbott served until her death in 1943, after which her daughter Ruth was appointed librarian. Ruth received a salary of $200 and use of the apartment above the library, with heat and light included.
Ruth Abbott also worked at Hubbard Memorial Library in Ludlow and paid a substitute when she couldn't be in Wilbraham. A popular story hour was led by Mrs. Clifford DuBray, and schoolchildren from North Wilbraham School would walk across the street to read and check out books. The building, however, was becoming increasingly inadequate. Heating by coal, outdated lighting, and a leaky roof were constant problems. When the Town Offices moved to the former school building in 1951, the library took over the entire Cutler house, but still, it wasn’t enough.
In 1956, Alice Cahill of the Department of Education conducted a formal survey. Her report recommended that the town construct a new library to meet the growing demands of a population nearing 6,000. She proposed hiring more staff, increasing shelf space, and building proper meeting and staff areas. Responding to her recommendations, Abigail Rudge was hired as the first children’s librarian in 1957. Her popular Saturday morning story hours brought more children into the library.
In 1959, Ruth Abbott retired, and Katherine Dingman became head librarian. By this time, the library staff included four librarians and several assistants. The town joined the Western Massachusetts Regional Library System in 1963, giving Wilbraham access to a shared bookmobile and rotating collections, a precursor to the interlibrary loan network used today.
Plans for a new building had stalled for years, largely due to legal restrictions in Henry Cutler’s will, which required that the building he donated be used exclusively for library purposes. In 1960, the town successfully petitioned the Massachusetts Probate Court for permission to sell the property and use the proceeds toward a new facility.
Meanwhile, J. Loring Brooks, a local businessman, offered a solution. He and his wife, Barbara, had previously proposed donating land behind the post office for a new library, and in 1966, the town accepted. That spring, voters approved funding for architectural planning and applied for a federal construction grant, which was awarded at $85,000. The remainder of the $395,000 budget was covered by local borrowing.
Construction began in 1968. The Brooks family’s land donation totaled six acres, designated for the library and possible future town buildings. The building committee, which met frequently, sometimes until midnight, oversaw every detail, from shelving and lighting to furniture. A large trestle table and 80 stacking chairs purchased for the new Brooks Room are still in use today.
Despite labor strikes and rising costs, the project finished on time and within budget. On December 6, 1968, the old library closed, and volunteers helped move the collection to the new facility. The Wilbraham Public Library officially opened its doors on December 9, 1968. That first month, circulation rose 60%, and the new meeting room became a hub for community use.
From modest beginnings in a single room to a modern, purpose-built facility, the Wilbraham Free Public Library has grown alongside the town it serves, offering more than books, but a true sense of community.
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