Hallettsville Public Library

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm passing it straight along to you. Way back in 1893, the citizens of Lavaca County were already talking about having a library. That seed sat in the soil for nearly four decades before anybody watered it in a serious way.

Then came September of 1932, and two local women decided they'd had enough waiting. Mrs. Harvey Renger and Miss Evelyn Lacy organized what they called the Library Nook, a rental library with a simple mission: supply the people of Hallettsville with the best books at the lowest cost.

It was open every day, tucked into the East Building right across from the East Hotel. Nothing fancy. Just books and purpose.

Now, a rental library is a start, but a community that loves books tends to want something more permanent. In 1937, ten local ladies founded the Hallettsville Reading Club, bound together by a shared love of reading. That same January, the Works Progress Administration agreed to furnish the labor to help care for a local library.

The Reading Club wasn't sitting still either. Come February of 1938, members walked into a Chamber of Commerce meeting and made their case for a community library. The chamber voted to contribute a dollar fifty per month for one year.

The Rotary Club stepped up to sponsor the library. The community supplied the books. The WPA hired a librarian to catalog them.

Three moving parts, turning together. On June 9, 1938, the Lavaca County Library officially opened to the public in a small room in the old Hallettsville City Hall, the building that today serves as the volunteer fire department station. It ran on meager resources, but it reached out to rural schools and kept its doors open.

By the early 1960s, the financial difficulties the Reading Club faced in keeping the library going were plain for anyone to see, and the community responded with support. On March 20, 1966, the Friench Simpson Memorial Library was dedicated and opened to the public. It was named for Friench Simpson, born in 1848, died in 1923, a man who wore a remarkable number of hats in his time: local lawyer, banker, author, state senator, and the father of J.H.

Simpson, Sr. From a quiet conversation in 1893 to a library bearing the name of one of Hallettsville's own, that's a long road built by a whole lot of people who just believed a town deserves good books.

What the marker says

As early as 1893, the citizens of Lavaca County expressed an interest in establishing a county library. In September 1932, two local citizens, Mrs. Harvey Renger and Miss Evelyn Lacy, organized a rental library known as the "Library Nook" to supply the people of Hallettsville with the best books at the lowest cost. The nook was open every day in the East Building across from the East Hotel. In 1937, the Hallettsville Reading Club was founded by ten local ladies who shared their love of books. In January 1937, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) agreed to furnish the labor to help care for a local library. In February 1938, members of the Reading Club appeared before the Chamber of Commerce offering the help of the Reading Club in securing a community library. The chamber voted to contribute $1.50 per month for one year. The Rotary Club sponsored the library, the community supplied the books and the WPA hired a librarian to catalog the books. On June 9, 1938, the Lavaca County Library officially opened to the public in a small room in the old Hallettsville City Hall (now the volunteer fire department station). The library continued under very meager resources and was able to offer services to rural schools. In the early 1960s, the community recognized the financial difficulties the Reading Club faced in operating the library and responded with support. On March 20, 1966, the Friench Simpson Memorial Library was dedicated and opened to the public. The library was named for Friench Simpson (1848-1923), local lawyer, banker, author, state senator and the father of J.H. Simpson, Sr.