Library History

On this page you will find links and information on the Cresco Public Library (including the original building and stained glass windows) and the town itself.

 

If you want to learn about our town and how it came to be, click on one of these links below:

Cresco Chamber - History

Cresco Chamber - Learn About Cresco

Howard County History

 

If you'd like a more in depth history of our library, plese click the following link: Cresco Public Library History PDF

Click the link to see the newspaper clippings about the original stained glass windows we have: Stained Glass Windows Newspaper Clippings. These are clippings from the Cresco Times Plain Dealer issue February 3rd, 1971 (pages 13 and 18).

 

Brief Overview:

The Cresco Public Library was built with funds from the Carnegie Foundation in 1914. It was dedicated on February 10th, 1915. A major addition to the south side in 1991 doubles the size of the library. The addition was accomplished with a federal grant, local Foundation donations and many volunteer hours. Today the library has thousands of books, audiobooks, DVDs, magazines, newspapers, onling resources, 10 public computers, 2 laptops (In-House Use Only), and a meeting room to serve Cresco and the surrounding communities.

 

              

 

Here is a picture of our library building

before the addition was made.

 

 

 

 

 

                  

                                Original Upstairs Floor Plan ^                                                              Original Downstairs Floor Plan ^

Pictured above are floor plans to the upstairs and downstairs before the addition was made. You can click on them to make the picture bigger. However, if you want to see the floor plans in person, come to the library and look at the display cases in front of the East Entry!