Pelly Branch Library, 1921-1948

The library in Pelly opened in June 1921, making it one of the first locations in the newly established Harris County Public Library (HCPL), formed just one month earlier. The location in Pelly was secured largely through the efforts of Mrs. E. T. Arnett, secretary of the Pelly Mothers Club, who petitioned the county to include Pelly in the new library system's plans. Arnett and her husband made multiple trips to Houston to advocate for the library, navigating difficult roads to meet with commissioners and present their case.

Initially, the library operated out of the Pelly Bank (pictured on the right) and was open for two hours on Tuesdays and Friday afternoons. The first recorded circulation statistics appear in the 1923 annual report, which notes that the branch circulated 6,898 books. By 1925, the Pelly Library had the third-highest circulation in the entire system. Early reports sometimes referred to the branch as "Middletown."

In 1929, the library moved to Pelly City Hall, becoming a central community hub. The room at Pelly City Hall served three purposes for the community—on Sundays, it was used for Sunday school classes; throughout the week, it was a public library; and on occasion, the "large, airy library room in the city hall [became] the council chamber for the city council or the arbitration room for the 'meat choppers' and other business men who met to fix prices."

Middle Years

Circulation continued to rise, with 11,119 books checked out in 1929. With Pelly’s population at just 4,000, this high circulation reflected a strong community interest in reading. County Librarian Ruth Underwood Pooley highlighted the exceptionally high turnover of books in rural libraries in her annual report. During the early 1930s, circulation remained between 11,000 and 15,000 books per year. Calverta Lannou served as the librarian from 1931 to 1935, followed by Hazel Escobas in 1935.

Unlike many HCPL branches housed in schools, which often closed during the summer, the Pelly Library remained open since it was located in City Hall. This allowed local children to participate in summer reading clubs - an early version of today's Summer Reading Program. In 1936, ten children earned diplomas for completing the reading challenge. 

During the late 1930s, the Pelly branch's circulation ranking gradually declined as other libraries—including those in Goose Creek, La Porte, Humble, and Pasadena—saw increased use. The introduction of a new bookmobile in 1937 further impacted the circulation system-wide by bringing books directly to communities that had previously needed to travel to library branches. In 1938, the Pelly branch began offering weekly story hours to attract more children.

Later Years and Eventual Closure

Circulation at the Pelly branch continued to drop through the 1940s despite high circulation at the neighboring Goose Creek Library. A list of additions to the Pelly library was published in a local newspaper in July 1944, including a Zane Grey western, reflecting the community’s reading interests. By this time, the library was open every afternoon except Sundays, with Frieda Stern as the librarian.

By 1946, the Pelly Library's circulation had fallen to 7,875 books, ranking tenth among HCPL branches. In April 1947, the library relocated from its room at the front of City Hall to a much smaller room at the back of the building. Just three months later, city officials moved it again, this time to the second floor. Frieda Stern resigned, and Rae Collier from Goose Creek Library took over the management of Pelly's collection.

From 1945 until 1947, the cities of Pelly and Goose Creek were locked in a legal battle about annexation that ended up before the Texas Supreme Court. In early 1947, a consolidation election was held by Pelly and Goose Creek, and a majority of residents voted to consolidate. The land disputes, which began during the oil boom of the 1910s, had ended.

On January 24, 1948, Goose Creek, Pelly, and East Baytown consolidated, forming the newly named city of Baytown. The Pelly Library was permanently closed that September to allow for the renovation of the former Pelly City Hall into the Baytown City Hall. The Goose Creek Library, built in 1925, became the Baytown Library. HCPL continued to provide library service to Baytown until 1963, when the city took over library management.