Moore Public Library

History :

The Charles H. Moore Library of Lexington was opened in the present building January 17, 1903. Mrs. Mary Moore Sleeper, married to Albert E. Sleeper, governor of Michigan (1917-1920), along with her sisters Ella and Emma, deeded the property and building to the Village for library purposes only. They named it in honor of their father. The building had been constructed in 1859 by John Devine for his law office and was remodeled for a library during the early part of the 1900's. The library was launched with 1300 books from Oscoda, donated by J. L. Wood, an uncle of the Moore sisters.
The first recorded meeting of the Board of Trustees was held on November 3, 1902. Miss Anna Henry was hired to catalogue books and act as librarian. She resigned in 1911. Miss Florence Walther replaced her and was paid a salary of $6 a month and $4 twice a year for cleaning. She remained librarian for 57 years, until she retired in 1968. Her salary in the late 1960's was approximately $100.00 a month, with a little extra for cleaning. The Board of Trustees met once or twice a year or not at all until 1930. From then on meetings were more frequent and regular.
Many improvements have been made over the years. The heating system changed from a coal stove to a coal burning furnace, eventually to oil and now, gas. The current back room of the library was the "back shed." In 1930, an electric light was installed there and by 1939, water was piped into the room upstairs. The 1940's saw the placement of a stool and lavatory in the small room under the stairs and a new roof put on the building. Numerous collection improvements and building renovations were made in the 1950's and 1960's. Most notably, the 50-year old set of encyclopedias was replaced and patron-accessible bookcases were added in both the front and middle rooms. The "back shed" was made into permanent room in the 1970's. A book cataloguing project was undertaken. Carpeting and drapes were installed downstairs, heat was added upstairs and the lighting was brought up to code. In 1982 the second-floor was renovated for use as a magazine and reference area. The library acquired an Apple IIe computer during the 1980's as well.