Mercer County Library

About Mercer County Library

Through foresight and dedication, Mercer County Library was established in 1926, using one room in the courthouse and operated by volunteers. 

In 1954, a 9-cent county tax was voted to establish a separate library in the former Buren house on South Broadway.

Twelve years later, through the generosity of the late Frank Lowry and his wife, Chloe Kauffman Lowry, the present 3,360 square feet library was constructed in 1966 on 601 Grant Street.

The library operated on the 9-cent tax from 1954 until 1989, when at the peak of economic decline in Mercer County, county residents stepped forward and voted an 11-cent library tax increase, making a 20-cent total levy from 1954 to present.

The staff of Mercer County Library is proud to announce that the library is doing well, running on grants and county tax support, a levy which has not increased since 1989. Many of the machines and materials for the library have been purchased with federal grants received throughout the years.