Stephenson Public Library celebrates 120th anniversary

The Marinette County Consolidated Public Library Service commemorated the 120th anniversary of the Stephenson Public Library building on Friday, September 29, 2023, with an Open House featuring a staff-created Story Stroll outside the library and a self-guided tour brochure inside the building. Cookies were available all day and the Marinette County Historical Society President-Elect, Joan Pace, stopped by with flowers to celebrate the day.

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On September 29, 1903, The Daily Eagle-Star had a full spread describing the recently opened Stephenson Public Library. Named for Senator Isaac Stephenson, who gave the City of Marinette $30,000 and the land on which the building was built, the library evoked Greek architecture with Doric columns, mosaic floors, and marble balustrades. It featured reading rooms, a ground floor lecture room, and an octagon circulation desk in the rotunda.

​According to The Eagle-Star, the Marinette County Traveling Library was established in 1897. Efforts were made over the next 40 years to have a mobile library. In 1941, the library secured one year of funding from the WPA for a bookmobile. Sufficient funds were raised again in 1947 for a permanent bookmobile service, which began in February 1948. The bookmobile served Marinette County until the mid-1980s.

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In the early 1970s, conversations began about the possibility of a merger among the city libraries in Marinette, Peshtigo, and Niagara with the Marinette County Traveling Library. In 1977, the new Marinette County Consolidated Public Library Service was launched.

In 1979, the library received a much-needed expansion. Overcrowding had greatly limited available services, but with the expansion, Stephenson Public Library entered the 1980s with more space and services.

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By the early 2000s, the building had become outdated and work began to plan a renovation. In 2006, the most recent renovation of the building began. The library temporarily relocated to county-owned space on Ella Court until the library building was ready to reopen in 2007.

​In 2023, the library has endeavored to find new and innovative ways to interact with its patrons, from acquiring a new digital microfilm scanner and software, to creating interactive programs like BreakOut Boxes and perpetual Lego club. The library also continues to adapt to changing community needs. There is an increased need for space for remote work, individual study rooms for video chats, and flexible programming to accommodate busy schedules.