Phone +1 732-462-5135 | ||
Address 28-1/2 E Main St, Freehold, NJ 07728, USA Hours Open today · 9AM–5PMFriday9AM–5PMSaturdayClosedSundayClosedMonday9AM–5PM, 7–9PMTuesday9AM–5PMWednesday9AM–5PM, 7–9PMThursday9AM–5PM, 7–9PM Similar Colts Neck Library, Jackson Branch Library, Monroe Township Library, Old Bridge Public Library, Middletown Township Public Lib | ||
The Freehold Public Library the free public library of Borough of Freehold, New Jersey located at 28 1/2 East Main Street.
Contents
Serving a population of 11,000 residents and with a collection of approximately 26,000 volumes the library has a yearly circulation of circa 28,000 items. While there have been suggestions that it be incorporated into the Monmouth County Library system, the library remains independent. The building is one of the remaining Carnegie-funded libraries in the state and is believed to be the only one with the name Carnegie Library engraved on its facade.
Founding
The King’s Daughters, a charitable and social service organization of the Baptist Church, decided at the turn of the 20th century that the county seat of Monmouth County should have a library. It opened on January 6, 1900, in the Lloyd Building at the corner of West Main and Throckmorton Street with a collection of 500 volumes, but was destroyed by fire in December 1901.
Carnegie library
The building is one of New Jersey's 36 Carnegie libraries, constructed with a grant made March 27, 1903 by industrialist Andrew Carnegie and opened in 1916.
Marion Laird, chairwoman of the Library Committee of the King’s Daughters, wrote to Carnegie asking for financial support for a new library building. The philanthropist offered $10,000, though records indicated that the donation would eventually be $11,000. Two conditions were stipulated: that the town should provide a suitable site. and that it provide support to the library not less than $1,000 per year.
At the annual election of Freehold Township on March 10, 1903, residents voted to support the levy of a library tax. It was the second town in New Jersey to get a Carnegie grant for a new library, the first being that for the East Orange Public Library in 1900. The borough incorporated 1919.
The King’s Daughters raised $2,000 through donations to buy the lot. In the summer of 1903 Frederick A. Brower contracted to construct new library, which cost of $8,874 and opened the following year.