History

Argos Public Library history

The Argos Public Library had a very modest start. In 1935, the Monday Club began discussing the possibility of opening a public library in the town of Argos. A select committee made up of passionate individuals began formulating plans that led to the formation of APL. After searching for both funds and books, the library opened on January 11, 1936. Later, on January 25th, the Argos Boy Scouts conducted a house-to-house field search for book donations. Several moneymaking events were conducted by other interested organizations that donated much needed and much appreciated money to the new library.

The library was first located behind the clerk-treasurer’s office on East Walnut Street. When the clerk-treasurer’s office was moved to a new location behind the bank, the library followed, sharing space with the WPA recreation project for children. It was announced on April 30, 1942 that the library would be moved to its new location in the City Building of Argos. May 5th, 1942 was chosen as the opening day.

Originally, the financing of the library was taken care of through donations. However, in 1942 it began to receive funds through taxation. Green and Walnut Townships were merged into the library district in 1952 so all of the community citizens would be paying an equal tax rate for library support.

Charles Schoonover, a retired local businessman, donated a building in downtown Argos to be used as the public library building. This building consists of two older buildings dating from the 1870’s that were joined and used for over 100 years as a retail dry goods establishment which was a major landmark for not only Argos but Marshall County and beyond. Through careful planning and hard work, these historic buildings have been restored to their original storefront appearance to once again be an anchor for the downtown area. The APL board of trustees is committed to keeping the library downtown and making it a focus point of activities for the community. Renovation began on October 27, 2003.

After a myriad of renovation set-backs, the move into the building was officially made in December, 2009 with the work of many volunteers and staff. The Lions Club, Argos Volunteer Firemen as well as many local patrons and friends helped moved the materials and furniture. The library opened for its first day of business at 142 N Michigan Street on January 05, 2010.

Illustration of the Argos Public Library building from a 1954 Argos Reflector article highlighting 72 years of the library’s progress.