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The idea of a public library for Nazareth and vicinity was conceived following WWII when the community decided to erect a living memorial honoring all the local men and women who served in time of war.
Prior to construction of a library facility, Mr. Nelson Freeman donated the second floor of his South Main Street store as a temporary library.
The ground was broken for the Library on April 30, 1950 and the Dedication was held May 30, 1951.
By 1970 library usage had increased almost tenfold. The heirs of Peter and Katherine Trumbower donated the Trumbower home, at the corner of Center and New Streets, as a larger library facility. The library moved into this, its present location in May of 1970.
Once again the library outgrew its building, and in September of 1995 a campaign to build the 1.2 million-dollar addition began. Construction and renovation of the library, as it appears today, began in December of 1997. The new facility was rededicated on June 13, 1999.
Source:
Yeakel, Elmer & Alice. (1998) The History of the Memorial Library of Nazareth and Vicinity. Moravian Hall Square Museum Craft Shop: Nazareth, PA.
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