History of Stinson Memorial Library District
Established in 1914, the Stinson Memorial Library has a rich history made possible by the generous endowment given by Robert Burns Stinson. Stinson, a civil war veteran, settled in Anna after serving in the 60th Infantry of the Army of the Republic. Stinson, a prominent community member, left $50,082 to the City of Anna to establish a library. The endo
wment funds were invested in local commerce by the acting Library Board of Trustees. After a decade, the profits were used towards the construction of the library. Walter Burley Griffin was appointed architect of the library. An advocate of using materials indigenous to the area, Griffin's use of limestone is one of the compelling features of the library’s structure. In 1912, the same year Griffin is appointed the architect for the Stinson Memorial Library, he won the Australian Federal Capital City Design Competition. Griffin would later go on to be widely renowned for his prairie-style architectural works. In the years since it’s open, there have been few structural changes made to the library itself. In June of 1978, the library was included in the National Register of Historic Places. Stinson Memorial Library was first run by Lueva Montgomery (1914-1918) who was proceeded by local Miss Helen Louise Grear (1919 -1927). Corita Spann Alden ran the facility between 1927 – 1942 and was followed by Miss Mary Bacon who served Stinson Library from 1942 – 1990. Robert Hafeman served as library director from 1990 – 2001. Under his administration, the Stinson Library was expanded into the Stinson Memorial Public Library District. The district’s service area now reached to include most of Union County. It was during this time that library branches open in Alto Pass and Cobden. The library district transitioned into utilizing an automated library system and modernized material sharing. Lisa Livesay ran the library district from 2001 - 2020 and incorporated digital materials as well as partnered to offer library services at the Wolf Lake Community Center and later at Shawnee High School. Sarah Watkins became the Library District’s Director in 2021 and is working to continue the legacy of previous Stinson Librarians. Currently, the library district has two locations, the Stinson Memorial Library and Cobden Branch Library. It is a member of the Illinois Heartland Library System and participates in resource sharing across Illinois.
