A LIBRARY COMES TO ETOWAH - 1982

​"What is more important to a library than anything else - than everything else

- is the fact that it exists."

Archibald MacLeish (1892-1982)
American Poet, Writer, and the Librarian of Congress
  • 1982     First Etowah Library   

April 20, 1982  Etowah opened its first ever library.  The library was in a mobile classroom trailer located in the Etowah Shopping Center.
Read the full text of the announcement
in the 1982 "LINK," the newsletter of the
Henderson County Library.


Excerpt:     " The newest branch of the Henderson County Public Library was opened April 20 with a dedication ceremony and open house.  The branch is located next to Ingle's Market in the Etowah Shopping Plaza in a mobile classroom provided by the Henderson County Board of Education, on land made available by by Lloyd Ducote of Etowah.  The Etowah Lions Club provided funds and man-power. "
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The Link, newsletter of Henderson County Public Library, May-June, 1982

Standing on the site of a proposed library branch are officers of the library, of Northwestern Bank, which has contributed $5,000 to the project, and the Etowah Lions Club, who generated the idea and are coordinating efforts to build the branch. They are, left to right, Frank L. FitzSimons, vice chairman of the library board of trustees; Earl Kelly and Les Warren, co-chairmen of the Lions Library Project Committee; Georgia Rhodes, manager of the Etowah Branch of the bank; and William E. McGee, city executive and vice president of the bank. - Times-News, September 22, 1981

Times-News, April 22, 1982

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Etowah's first library, April 1982

  • April 1985     Library moves to former Etowah Grange #984 building
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Times-News, December 6, 1983

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​​1985 - Etowah's Library in its second location, the former Etowah Grange #984 building on Brickyard Road, now the WCCA Children's Center.

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Library in 1993, after building expansion - the former Etowah Grange #984, Brickyard Road
The building was expanded with a gift from the estate of Molly Wells.  The community Meeting Room in today's Etowah Branch Library is named the "Molly Wells Meeting Room."

  • February 2008     Today's Library in new building
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Ground breaking for the new 8,100 square foot library on Brickyard Road was held in February 2007 and the new library opened a year later in its current location.

Over the door are the names of benefactors, Richard J. and Betty A. Scott.

The Scott Estate gifted over half of the funds to establish a larger, permanent home for this wonderful branch public library in Etowah.
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Page contributors - Etowah Branch Library & Dr. William Newsom