Public Library, Waupun, Wisconsin

LIB422720

Fondly referred to as the “City of Sculpture,” Waupun celebrates its 175th anniversary in 2014. From its inception, the decisions, hard work, and determination of Waupun’s first citizens were integral in developing the Waupun of today. In 1839, Seymour Wilcox ventured from Green Bay with his family and two friends to the unsettled area of Wisconsin known as Oak Openings. The surveyor of the land, John Bannister, described it “the most beautiful and fertile land [he] had ever seen.” The land Wilcox purchased bordered the Rock River and lay in both Dodge and Fond du Lac Counties. This division of counties eventually caused some tension within the fledgling town, although it did not deter the town from uniting and prospering in agriculture, business, industry, faith, public works, and play.

Public Library, Waupun, Wisconsin

[LIB2592]

The Waupun Library Association survived until 1904 when the City of Waupun established the Waupun Public Library, making the Waupun Public Library one of only three public libraries in the state of Wisconsin that can trace a continuous line back to the city's library association (the other two libraries in this category are the Milwaukee and Madison public libraries). It was in that year that construction began on the Waupun Public Library building.

Library service continued in this building until 1968, when construction was completed and opening ceremonies conducted on the current library building. In 1998, an addition to the current building was completed to increase the amount of space for the growing collection. (The Carnegie building is now home to the Waupun Heritage Museum.) [Thanks to the Waupun Public Library!]