The History of the Locust Grove Public Library
The Locust Grove Public Library became official on April 13, 1981, when then mayor Roger Anderson signed the proclamation adopted by the Locust Grove Board of Trustees establishing the facility.
But the idea was born when Susan Hamilton began having organizational meetings in her home, and the first library became a reality in a small building owned by Euletta Foreman on the northwest corner of Main Street and Water Street. Foreman also paid the utilities for the library while it was in this first small building. The first library board consisted of Susan Hamilton, chairman; Marie Hughes, vice chairman; Joan Bennett, secretary; Susan Hamilton, treasurer; Betty Perkins, reporter; and Virginia Sweatt.
After three months in the tiny storefront on Main Street, an 18 x 10 foot space became available in City Hall, greatly increasing the capacity of the library. That first summer saw the library offer extended summer hours and a CETA worker was provided, and the library board began to work to qualify for state aid.
Volunteers were a vital part of the initial start up of the library. Thousands of volunteer hours went into gathering books, getting them ready for the shelves and manning the library. In April of 1981 when the library first opened, the sign on the window read “Open Thursday 10am – 3pm”.
Early volunteers included, but were not limited to, Brenda Corley, Janet Rowland, Chester Cowan, Glen Devell, Glen W. Terrell, Hazel Blackwell, Beverly Larroux, Kathleen Oliver, Virginia and John Chaffin, Don Williams, Ned Dickerson, The Ketchum Methodist Church, Rita Hunnicut, Mrs. Clay Spear, Mrs. Robert Perry, Dooley’s lumber in Chouteau, A & H Lumber, Mayes County Camp Fire Girls, Pat Anderson, Ginger Cunningham, July Spurgeon, Doris Potts, Cindy Grass and Diana Forbes. These names were pulled from newspaper articles written when the library first got its start.
The hopes of a permanent structure that was large enough to provide full library services for the community was a dream from the very beginning. A serious effort to turn the dream into brick and mortar began in 1988 with the formation of a library trust, headed by L.C. Neel. By September of 1991 with $40,000 in the trust’s coffers, Neel decided it was time to begin construction. A ground- breaking ceremony was held Feb. 29, 1992. When the keys to the completed facility were handed over to the town on Aug. 15, 1993, the building was a debt-free gift.
Built through donations and fund-raisers, the building was valued at $160,000, according to Neel, who along with his wife Ellen donated the land on which the library was built and contributed $5,000 to the cause.
The building itself is a structure completely handicapped accessible and was designed by Bill Howard of Salina, Oklahoma. It holds a bit of Locust Grove history in its structure. Eighty-year-old bricks from the old middle school were donated by the Holman Company to cover the exterior of the facility. Townspeople gathered for a “brick cleaning party” to salvage the building blocks left over when the school was torn down during the summer of 1989. Individual bricks were sold as mementoes as a fund-raiser.
More than half of the cost of building the library was given in labor and sweat by various local craftsmen who donated their skills toward the completion of the library. At least 50 individuals gave more than $100 each in cash. In addition, Cheryl Neilson and Express Welding both donated $5,000 cash. Doctors Hospital of Tulsa donated $10,000 and an equal amount was given in memory of Dale and Deloris Watley. The family of the town’s founder, O. W. Killam, provided funds for items in the children’s section, including books and furniture.
When Mayor Doris Rable accepted the keys to the library on Aug. 15, 1993 from Library Trust President L. C. Neel, she expressed thanks to him and other members of the trust: Joan Bennett, Ron Jacobs, Joyce Gill, Bud Turner, George King, Gene Langston and the late Vicky Pierce.
Dr. Warren G. Gwartney, president of the Founders of Doctors Hospital was on hand for the ceremony. He presented a book to L. C. Neel who promptly gave it to the library. Gwartney, who grew up in the Boatman area, said the book “tells how a boy can go from looking a mule in the rear to medical school if he wants to.”
Senator Kevin Easley and Representative Larry Adair presented and Oklahoma flag to the library on behalf of Governor David Walters. Pryor librarian Thomasine Ward was also on hand to help open a sister library. Attending from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries were Donna Norvell, Cathy VanHoy, and Gary Phillips.
Red Apple Awards were presented by L. C. and Ellen Neel to the people who had donated time, money and labor. Receiving awards were David and Jeri Fleming, Betty Perkins, Movita Turner, Alice Jacobs, Ellen Neel, Linda King, Joan Bennett, Joyce Gill, Phyllis McFarland, Madge Steckman, Mary Bell, Alice Coday, Maxine Markham, Jean McCartney, Euletta Foreman, Shelly Crawford, the Order of the Eastern Star, VFW and FFA organizations. Leo Ross and Gary Langston were recognized for donating labor and Dennis Kern was acknowledged for providing insurance free of charge while the construction was in progress.
Donation of the circulation area by Oklahoma Fixture Company in memory of John Nilson is valued at $5,000. Labor donations were received from Dallas McFarland, $1,000; Frank and Marilyn Stinson, $1,700; Leo and Jan Ross, $3,500; Gary Langston, $3,500; Bud and Movita Turner, $6,700 labor and monetary donation.
VFW Post #3573 and the Locust Grove High School FFA donated $2,300 each from fund-raisers held to benefit the library. The Chamber of Commerce donated $2,000 from the Killam Trust and gave $1,000 in memory of Vicky Pierce, an active chamber member who was killed in an auto accident earlier in 1993. A multitude of small donations came from raffles, bake sales, dinners and smaller contributions of money.
The trust provided monetary support for the library in its first year of operation. The new facility opened its doors to the public on Sep. 7, 1993.
Today, the library is a modern facility with one full time librarian, two part time librarians and several volunteers. Annissa Parris became the Library Director in July 2004. Fern McFarland, a retired teacher began working part time in August 2004. Penny Wright another part time librarian started in August 2006.
The library is open 31 hours a week, houses over 12,000 volumes and offers high-speed Internet on six public computers. It is a member of the Oklahoma Libraries Association, Oklahoma Department of Libraries and offers a full children’s summer reading program as well as story hours throughout the year.
(The story compiled largely from newspaper articles written by Betty L. Perkins and Tony Lee Orr which appeared in the Daily Times. Submitted by Annissa Parris.)
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