Neillsville Public Library
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ABOUT

MISSION

To engage all patrons in lifelong learning and literacy.

LIBRARY GOALS

  • Serve all citizens in the community by making the best use of our facility and funding.
  • Maintain services that provide information, guide reading, stimulate thinking, and intellectual development for all individuals.
  • Help discover new methods and improvements that provide better service for patrons.
  • Maintain a varied, accessible, and comprehensive collection with a variety of media formats.

STAFF

Janay Ziebell, Director
Kathy Wegner, Children’s Librarian
Leanne Mayer
Karen Venne

CLOSED HOLIDAYS

  • January 1st
  • Good Friday
  • Memorial Day
  • July 4th
  • Labor Day
  • Veterans Day
  • Thanksgiving
  • Christmas Eve
  • Christmas Day
city of neillsville-1875
hewett street, neillsville, 1875
logging in city of neillsville, 1875
neillsville jail-ealry 1900s

history

The Neillsville Library Association was founded in 1879 by a group of 13 men.  Memberships to the library were $10 for a year for the founders, $1 for residents, and $.25 for a year for school memberships. The library started out in the courthouse office of C.S. Stockwell with just one bookcase.
Stockwell was considered Neillsville’s first unofficial librarian, and in 1897, the city council agreed to maintain the growing library in the Neillsville City Hall, hiring Mrs. Robert Thompson as official librarian with wages of $1.00 a week.  
Neillsville School early 1900s

In 1914, J.W. Hommell applied for and received a Carnegie Corporation grant to build a library building for $10,000, on the condition that the city provide $ 1,000 a year towards maintaining the library. Her first husband was George Carnegie, a great-nephew of Andrew Carnegie, a railroad tycoon who financially supported the establishment of many libraries.

Built in 1914, the Withee Construction Co. was awarded the contract with the final price of $8400.

Neillsville Public Library early 1900s

In 1996, an addition was built from community and city funding.

Neillsville Public Library (1914) is recognized as a Historic Landmark by the Neillsville Historic Preservation Commission.

Resources: “Images of America: Clark County” by Natalie Erpenbach and Stephen Roberts“Neillsville Architectural Survey 2003-2004” prepared by Rebecca Bernstein, and “History of Clark County Wisconsin” compiled by Franklyn Curtiss-wedge.