La Porte Branch Library
Known as the Edith Wilson Memorial Library from 1982 to 2001.
La Porte Branch Library
The Start – 1921
The La Porte Branch first opened in June 1921 at the La Porte High School with 110 books. Volunteers Lucille Johnson and Evelyn Lawrence ran the branch. By the end of the first year, the branch's collection of 138 books had circulated 1,211 times.
In September 1923, due to increased adult patronage, the library moved to larger, quieter quarters in the La Porte Hardware Store owned by Claire Slusher. Lois Taylor volunteered to run the library.
In 1925, the La Porte Chamber of Commerce and La Porte City Council hired the first paid librarian at a salary of $4 per month. Harris County also paid the librarian a small hourly stipend.
During this time, the library was only open for one day a week. In November of that year, the library moved to a room in the recently built community building shared with the Harris County Red Cross. Eventually, the Red Cross moved out, and the library was able to expand even more.
In 1927, the library was opened for an additional day each week. Dorothy Switzer was appointed the librarian in 1928, and the branch was now open for three days each week.
The La Porte Parent Teacher Association (PTA), led by Gladys Harrison, began a campaign for a new library building in 1928. The local Presbyterian Church (now the Community Church) donated land for the project. Construction began in October 1928. The La Porte PTA purchased the materials, and men in the community donated their labor.
The grand opening of the new building was on February 8, 1929. The 420-square-foot building had space set aside for the Red Cross Health Center.
Librarian Dorothy Switzer is seen here (far left, back) in August 1929 with children outside the library.
Children reading outside the La Porte Library in 1929.
The total circulation in 1929 was 6,268, a significant increase from 1928, when 2,582 volumes circulated.
Dorothy Switzer stepped down as the librarian in 1930 and was replaced by Mrs. W. B. Dunne. Three children with puppets are shown here at the La Porte branch in September 1932.
Circulation at the branch steadily increased over this period, with 16,973 volumes circulated in 1932.
Christine Johnson was hired as the librarian for the summer of 1933; Mrs. Harry Johnson took over in the fall.
An adult book club (called a literary club) started in the early 1930s, and meetings were well attended and featured lively discussions.
Mrs. Otis Harrison was hired as the branch librarian in 1934. Pictured here is book delivery day at the La Porte branch in September 1934.
In 1935, a small collection of 57 books was placed in the National Youth Administration Camp for Girls in La Porte for three months. The camp focused on providing work and education to women between the ages of 16 and 25, and the books supported the women's training.
The exterior of the La Porte branch in July 1937.
In 1938, the branch was the third-highest circulating branch, behind only Goose Creek (modern-day Baytown) and Pelly (also in modern-day Baytown), with 28,956 books checked out.
Circulation at the branch peaked in 1940, with 30,846 checkouts. The branch's circulation numbers rose and fell throughout the 1940s, but it remained one of the top five circulating branches in the system.
During World War II, a partition and door were added to the building for the Air Raid Warden.
HCPL opened a school station at the La Porte Colored School (as it was known then) in 1924. The station was one of the first HCPL stations opened to provide access to Black students. Students and the custodian of the library station, Viola DeWalt, are seen here in this undated photograph of the one-room schoolhouse. The station closed in May 1942. Shortly after, the school moved into a two-room building. The City of La Porte restored the original one-room schoolhouse in 2018, and it was given a Texas Historical Marker.
In 1950, the La Porte Recreation Department offered to sponsor a branch library for the Black community. A collection of 338 books was placed in the Community Building adjacent to the new La Porte Colored School. The library opened to the public on June 7, 1950, but would close in 1951, with the county citing irregular hours and inconsistent statistical reporting.
Read more about the school at Service to the Black community in La Porte, 1924-1951
The Rotary Club paid for new asbestos siding for the building in 1952, which Branch Librarian Lydia Stile's husband installed for free.
In 1954, the library received new blinds, and the building got a fresh coat of paint. The community responded well to the improvements; circulation jumped from 12,093 to 31,588 that year. The branch had the third-highest circulation, behind Baytown and West University.
The branch received a new roof in 1957.
In 1960, Edith Wilson became the branch librarian (seen here, second from the left). At the time, the county furnished books and supplies and paid for the librarian's salary and custodial services. After 1962, the City of La Porte took responsibility for the utilities, furnishings, and building maintenance.
In 1960, the local chapter of Beta Sigma Phi donated a jalousie door to the branch. The door, which featured horizontal slats, allowed fresh air into the branch when the weather was good but could withstand the high winds and rain during severe weather.
In 1962, Wilson contacted 35 local clubs and organizations to recruit members for a new Library Board. The board's primary goal was to raise funds to construct a larger, more modern library building. By then, the 400-square-foot building was a maze of books and shelving, with no space for programming or leisure reading.
The La Porte community celebrated its 60th anniversary (Diamond Jubilee) in 1964. Residents enjoyed eight days of historical displays, carnivals, and parades. The highlight was the "Spurs to Space" show: "See the library built in 1 minute, 46 seconds each night."
The City of La Porte applied for funds from the Texas State Library under the Library Services and Construction Act in 1965. La Porte residents voted for a $25,000 bond to match the grant funds. Harris County provided $7,000 for furniture, shelving, and books, and the community raised an additional $7,000.
Edith Wilson and Jo Hofstetter are seen here at the site of the future La Porte Library.
The new building officially opened in January 1967, but the dedication was delayed until April 30, 1967. Edith Wilson (left) is pictured here at the dedication with Jo Hofstetter and Library Board Chairman Dr. W. R. Davison.
The building, located at 526 San Jacinto Street, was 3,300 square feet and held 6,000 books, with the potential to hold up to 12,000.
The original 1929 building was restored and moved to the Sylvan Beach Depot Museum and Library.
Children are reading, studying, and browsing the shelves at the La Porte Library in this undated photograph. A full set of World Book encyclopedias weighs down the book truck in the center.
La Porte Mayor E. A. "Buck" Thomas signed a proclamation declaring April 9-14 National Library Week in La Porte in 1973. Branch Librarian Edith Wilson (second from right) at the signing ceremony with fellow librarian Rosemary Sharp (far right).
In 1975, construction began to expand the existing library building. The City of La Porte and a generous donation from resident Catherine Miller funded the work.
The expansion was completed in the spring of 1976. Additions included a large reference room, storage closets, a utility room, and a large space for the adult collection, bringing the building to 5,300 square feet.
In 1977, the library participated in the Sylvan Beach Day Parade, a La Porte tradition (now known as Sylvan Beach Festival).
By 1978, the library held 21,000 books, and the City of La Porte handled library furnishings and building maintenance. That March, long-time branch librarian Edith Wilson retired. Carol Naegle was hired in April as the new branch librarian.
In 1979, the library system switched card catalogs to microfiche. The branch also experienced mold growth that year, which was quickly remedied.
In 1980, the library asked County Judge John Lindsay for additional staff. Jo Hofstetter was appointed the new branch librarian.
In 1981, the Friends of the La Porte Library sponsored a float in the parade on the silver anniversary of Sylvan Beach Day.
Edith Wilson passed away on June 20, 1982. That August, the La Porte branch was renamed the Edith Wilson Memorial Library. Seen here is HCPL Director Cathy Park (center, in pink) with Assistant Librarian Mark Stamps (left) at the renaming ceremony on October 2nd.
In January 1983, the library got a new Xerox machine.
That August, Hurricane Alicia hit the Houston area, but the branch building was undamaged. Unfortunately, in the months after the storm, the branch suffered a cockroach infestation.
Children show off their Valentine's Day craft in this undated photograph.
In July 1985, the arrival of new circulation “terminals” sparked excitement among both customers and staff. Curious patrons eagerly experimented with different searches, testing the limits of the new technology and enjoying the novelty of interacting with computers at the library.
1986 was a year of multiple disasters: in January, the police were called in to rescue a father and son who accidentally got stuck in one of the bathroom stalls; in March, a librarian had to put out a car fire in the parking lot; in April, Children's Librarian Mark Stamps (seen here in red glasses) got stuck in the restroom; and finally, in August, $46 was stolen from the library cash drawer.
In March 1992, the Friends of the Library raised money for a microfilm reader in memory of local historian Gordon Black. Black had previously donated microfilm of early La Porte newspapers to the library.
In 1993, branch Librarian Jo Hofstetter retired after 26 years of service. Peggy Warnock was appointed the Branch Librarian.
The branch received a new sign in 1995.
The community celebrated the building's 30th anniversary in February 1996.
That October, the library received its first set of computers through an anonymous donation. The computers came with a word-processing program and a resume-writing program.
In January 1997, La Porte staff attended workshops on using Windows 95 and navigating the Internet. Later that year, HCPL received a grant to place one "public access Internet terminal" in each branch.
From 1996 to 1997, the library held a microfilm reader fundraising campaign. The Friends of the Library successfully archived the Bayshore Sun on microfiche.
The Houston Coca-Cola Bottling Co. gifted the city of La Porte a parcel of land on Broadway in February 1998. The "prime piece of property" would allow the city to move forward with plans to replace the existing branch with a much larger facility. The community of La Porte had tripled in size since the building opened in 1967.
Branch Librarian Peggy Warnock left the library in March 1998.
The City of La Porte held a special election in January 1999 to let voters decide on several capital projects. La Porte residents approved a 1/2 cent sales tax to fund a new $2.6 million library building.
The groundbreaking for the new building took place on May 10, 2000. Construction began that summer, right during an intense heatwave. After the hot summer, the area experienced heavy rainfall for several weeks, delaying work until the standing water disappeared.
By March 2001, the project had experienced 52 days of weather-related delays. The target completion date of May 2001 was pushed back a few months, even with crews working on weekends and holidays.
The Edith Wilson building was closed to the public on August 25th so that staff could move the library books and equipment into the new building.
The dedication ceremony took place on the evening of September 20th, followed by an Open House. The building opened to the public on Friday, September 21st.
The new 22,000-square-foot facility was four times larger than the previous building. The children's section in the new building was named "Sea of Knowledge," with an entrance featuring a pair of seahorse sculptures.
HCPL Director Cathy Park (left) is seen here at the grand opening of the new building.
During fall 2003, the children's department of La Porte Community Library brainstormed ways to promote the upcoming 2004 Summer Reading Program (SRP). Many local children relied on the library in the afternoons after school. Children's Librarian Mark Stamps and his assistant, David Novosad, looked for a way to promote summer reading and involve children in a project that would challenge their imaginations and foster their talents. They founded the La Porte Community Library Film Committee to create a film to promote the SRP and recruited many of the children who spent the most time at the branch after school to help with the project. The group secured a $200 budget from the Friends of the La Porte Community Library.
By spring 2004, the film committee had completed its final script draft and began filming a short promotional film titled Kool Ride's Library Drive. The committee completed final editing of the stop-motion sequences in late April 2004. Each branch received a DVD copy of the film for use in the county-wide SRP promotional effort. The film was also attached to HCPL's Kids in the Know website during the summer months and was viewed by children across the county.
The project was a huge success. La Porte Elementary School honored the film committee members at a special screening, where they received praise from their peers and teachers. Film committee membership became a much-coveted position among La Porte Library's young patrons.
The committee continued to produce a new SRP film each year, along with other works such as Internet Safety with the Library Legend Busters.
View more of the committee's work in the Digital Archive or view the branch's YouTube playlist.
The branch held a Braveheart water balloon fight in June 2008.
La Porte staff celebrated the building's 10th anniversary in September 2011.
Babies and toddlers crawled through and played with boxes at the branch in 2014.
Preschool Easter Egg Hunt in March 2015.
Owlbotron and the Curiosity Cruiser bookmobile visited the branch in January 2018.
COVID-19
As 2020 progressed and the Coronavirus pandemic struck Harris County, La Porte staff transitioned to virtual service. Staff helped customers adjust to the new curbside service and designed customized book bundles.
In August 2020, while the branch was closed to the public due to COVID-19, branch staff rearranged the collection to remove shelving and create more open space.
In February 2021, Winter Storm Uri blew through Texas, causing havoc to the power grid and leaving many without electricity or water. Children's Librarian David Novosad braved the weather to photograph the branch blanketed in snow.
The branch reopened to the public on May 19, 2021.
After a challenging year for the La Porte community, the library is back in business.