Beaumont Public Library System
🏢 City of Beaumont · Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont Public Library System
Serving Beaumont and Jefferson County from four branch libraries since its 1926 founding, the Beaumont Public Library System enriches Southeast Texas with over 350,000 circulating items, free digital resources, and programs rooted in literacy, civil rights, and community heritage.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 9am–6pm |
| Tuesday | 9am–6pm |
| Wednesday | 9am–6pm |
| Thursday | 9am–6pm |
| Friday | 9am–6pm |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 801 Pearl Street, Beaumont, TX 77701
Phone: (409) 838-6606
Website: beaumonttexas.gov
Plus Code: 86273WJ3+9V (Beaumont, TX)
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📖 About Beaumont Public Library System
The Beaumont Public Library System traces its roots to 1926, when Captain W. C. Tyrrell purchased the 1903 First Baptist Church building — a Richardsonian Romanesque landmark at Pearl and Forsythe with original stained glass and Gothic arches — and donated it to the city as its first public library. That building still stands as the Tyrrell Historical Library, now a National Register property dedicated to Southeast Texas genealogy and archives. In 1974 a new Main Downtown Library opened at 801 Pearl Street, designed by Marvin K. Gordy, and the system expanded to four circulating branches: the R.C. Miller Memorial Library (1982), a gift from Beaumont businessman R.C. Miller whose will funded the 14,000-square-foot branch on Dowlen Road; the Elmo Willard Library (1998), honoring civil rights attorney Elmo R. Willard III, who partnered with Judge Theodore R. Johns Sr. to integrate Beaumont's parks, schools, and public spaces through the NAACP; and the Theodore Johns Library (2002), named in recognition of Judge Johns' own lifelong work for civil and human rights. Together the six locations — four circulating libraries, the Tyrrell Historical Library, and the Maurine Gray Literacy Center — circulate more than 350,000 items annually and serve a city population of roughly 118,000.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Founded 1926 in the donated 1903 First Baptist Church building, now the Tyrrell Historical Library — a National Register Recorded Texas Historic Landmark with all its original stained glass intact
- R.C. Miller Memorial Library (1982) built entirely from the bequest of Beaumont native R.C. Miller, who came to the city in 1904, co-founded the Tyrrell Rice Milling Company, and died in 1973 at age 100
- Elmo Willard (1998) and Theodore Johns (2002) branches honor the two civil rights attorneys — partners in Beaumont and NAACP colleagues — who desegregated the city's parks, schools, and Lamar State College of Technology
- Branch libraries open until 8pm Monday–Thursday, giving working families late-evening access to 11–15 public computers, Learning Backpacks, and curated digital collections
- TexShare member (FY2026 active): cardholders access Libby eBooks, CloudLibrary, Mango Languages, TumbleBooks, LearningExpress, the Beaumont Enterprise Digital Archive, and HeritageHub — all free
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Beaumont cardholders access a full digital library free through TexShare and the system's own licensed resources:
📚 Services
- Free library cards for Beaumont residents (bring TX ID with current address to any circulating branch)
- Public computers (11–15 per branch) with internet, word processing, and printing
- Wireless internet at all branch locations
- Copy, fax, and scan services
- 24/7 book drops at all circulating branches
- Interlibrary loan via TexShare AgShare network
- Meeting rooms available for community use
- English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at Main Downtown Library
- GED preparation and high-school equivalency assistance at Maurine Gray Literacy Center
- Learning Backpacks (literacy, STEAM, games, resilience themes) — 2-week checkout with card
- Gaming Backpacks (Battleship, Connect 4, Checkers) for home checkout
- Book Discussion Kits with curated titles and guided discussion materials
🎸 Programs
- Pre-K Storytime — offered daily across branch locations; promotes early literacy through stories, songs, and interaction
- 55 by 5 — literacy challenge encouraging families to read 50 books and complete five brain-development activities before age 5
- 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten — reading challenge for babies and toddlers
- STEAM It Up — hands-on science, technology, engineering, arts, and math projects for grades 1–6 (free, all branches)
- Imagination Kits — free monthly STEAM craft projects at all branches (grow a plant, build a sailboat, make a harmonica)
- Summer Reading Program — community-wide reading promotion tracked via Beanstack
- Family Place (Theodore Johns Library) — early childhood development and parental engagement programming
- Book Lovers' Club — monthly curated reading selections with bookmarks and snacks (Elmo Willard Library)
- Volunteer Program — shelf stocking, storytime reading, and craft kit assembly across all branches
📍 Nearby Libraries in Southeast Texas
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Why are two of the branch libraries named after Elmo Willard and Theodore Johns?
Both men were Beaumont civil rights attorneys who worked together — and alongside the NAACP — on landmark desegregation cases that integrated the city's public parks, schools, the historic Lamar State College of Technology, and public dining establishments. Elmo R. Willard III and Judge Theodore R. Johns Sr. are remembered as local heroes; the system honored their legacy by naming the 1998 and 2002 branches after them respectively, cementing a civil rights history lesson into the library landscape itself.
What is the history of the Tyrrell Historical Library and its connection to the library system?
The Tyrrell Historical Library began as the 1903 First Baptist Church of Beaumont, designed in Richardsonian Romanesque style with original stained glass that survives to this day. In 1923 Captain W. C. Tyrrell purchased the building and donated it to the city in memory of his wife Helen, and after renovations it opened as Beaumont's first public library in 1926. When the current Main Downtown Library opened in 1974, the historic building was renamed the Tyrrell Historical Library to honor Tyrrell's philanthropy. It is now a National Register of Historic Places property and a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, housing the Southeast Texas genealogy and archives collection — including the Beaumont Enterprise newspaper archives and the HeritageHub online portal.
Who was R.C. Miller, and how did his bequest create the R.C. Miller Memorial Library?
Robert C. Miller was a Beaumont businessman originally from Navasota who arrived in 1904 and helped build the local economy — co-founding the Tyrrell Rice Milling Company and serving as first president of the company that built the Beaumont Hotel. He died in 1973 at the remarkable age of 100. His will, co-signed by his wife Byrdie Goodman Miller, established the R.C. Miller Community Fund, which the Texas Commerce Bank Trust Department used to plan, fund, and build the 14,000-square-foot branch on Dowlen Road. The deed was presented to the City of Beaumont on May 16, 1982.
Which branches have the longest evening hours, and is the Main Downtown Library open on weekends?
The three neighborhood branches — R.C. Miller (1605 Dowlen Rd.), Theodore Johns (4255 Fannett Rd.), and Elmo Willard (3590 E Lucas Dr.) — are open Monday through Thursday 9am–8pm and Friday–Saturday 9am–6pm, making them the go-to locations for evening and Saturday visits. The Main Downtown Library at 801 Pearl Street is open Monday through Friday 9am–6pm and is closed Saturday and Sunday. The Tyrrell Historical Library keeps Monday–Saturday hours at 695 Pearl Street next door, one block from the main building.
🖨 This library offers printing, copying & fax. See how library printing, copying, scanning and fax services work — costs and mobile printing — and find other libraries that offer them printing & fax by state.
📅 This library has meeting & community rooms. See how library meeting rooms work — booking, policies and fees — and find other libraries with meeting or community rooms meeting rooms by state.
🎓 This library offers free English (ESL) or citizenship classes. See how library English classes work — free, usually no card needed, with ESL levels, conversation groups and citizenship prep — and find other libraries with classes free English classes by state.
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✓ Hours & details last verified from official sources in September 2026.
