The movement to establish a library in White Bear Lake began with a series of reading rooms operating out of private homes in the 1880s. A collection of books and games was gathered by those hosting the reading rooms, and the public was invited in to enjoy them on certain evenings during the week. The popularity of these efforts, and the unparalleled passion of local merchant Daniel Getty to create a formal library for our community, resulted in the establishment of a public library by the White Bear Village Council on November 4, 1889.
Immediately, the appointed nine-person board went to work and solicited book donations and a building to house the library. Getty again led the charge and offered the use of one of his former store buildings for that purpose. For many years, the library was housed on the second floor of the Getty Block and in the former YMCA building.
In 1912, the village was presented with the opportunity to receive funding from the Carnegie Foundation to construct a permanent home for the library. By October 1914, a Carnegie Library was constructed by local contractor C.E. Davies on the southeast corner of Clark Avenue and Second Street, on a portion of the current library site.
In subsequent decades, the number of users, circulation and inventory increased dramatically. By the end of the 1960s, a merger with the Ramsey County Public Library was accomplished, and a new library was in the works. That building, completed in 1974, was closed in June 2014 to be remodeled and expanded for the next chapter of White Bear’s library story; the larger building is scheduled to open in February 2015.
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For more information on the White Bear Lake Library, visit whitebearhistory.org, or call 651.407.5327.
