Spies Public Library
🏢 Superiorland Library Cooperative · Menominee, Michigan
Spies Public Library
Menominee's landmark library since 1905, Spies Public Library reads like a French country chateau on the Green Bay waterfront — a gift from Augustus and Elizabeth Spies at 940 1st Street, now the local hub for the Superiorland Library Cooperative and the county's genealogy archive.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 9am–6pm |
| Tuesday | 9am–6pm |
| Wednesday | 9am–6pm |
| Thursday | 9am–4pm |
| Friday | 9am–4pm |
| Saturday | 10am–1pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 940 1st Street, Menominee, MI 49858
Phone: (906) 863-3911
Website: spiespubliclibrary.org
Plus Code: 86QJ495W+23 (Menominee, MI)
📱 Scan for directions
Point your phone camera at the code to open turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps.
👋 Use the Library Online
📖 About Spies Public Library
Spies Public Library is the public library of Menominee, Michigan, a Lake Michigan port city on the Wisconsin border across the Menominee River from Marinette. The library was made possible by a $30,000 gift from Augustus and Elizabeth Spies, announced in 1903; the building was designed by the Chicago firm Patton & Miller in the style of a French country chateau and was completed and dedicated on March 30, 1905. It opened with 5,184 volumes and circulated nearly 25,000 items in its first year. Although it is often mistaken for a Carnegie library — Patton & Miller designed many Carnegie buildings — it was privately funded by the Spies family. The building was expanded to roughly double its size in an addition dedicated in April 1997 to meet accessibility standards. Today Spies is a member of the Superiorland Library Cooperative and the Upper Peninsula Region of Cooperation, sharing resources across the region and maintaining a deep local-history and genealogy collection, including digitized Menominee-area newspapers going back to 1885.
⭐ What makes this library special
- 1905 Beaux-Arts landmark designed by Patton & Miller in the style of a French country chateau — a gift from Augustus and Elizabeth Spies, not a Carnegie library
- Member of the Superiorland Library Cooperative and the Upper Peninsula Region of Cooperation for resource sharing across the region
- Genealogy and local-history archive with digitized Menominee HeraldLeader (1885–1926) and Menominee County Journal (1893–2016), plus cemetery burial and obituary indexes
- Free streaming and downloads through hoopla, Libby, and Kanopy, plus Ancestry Library Edition on site
- 1997 accessible addition roughly doubled the building's original footprint while preserving the historic chateau facade
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Menominee cardholders can stream, download, and research free through the library's and Michigan's shared digital collections:
📚 Services
- Public computers, Wi-Fi, and printing
- Local-history and genealogy research collection
- Digitized Menominee-area newspaper archives (1885–2016)
- Ancestry Library Edition access on site
- Interlibrary loan through the Superiorland Library Cooperative and MeLCat
- Rotating community art gallery displays
🎸 Programs
- Book clubs
- Magic: The Gathering club
- Tech Tuesdays technology help sessions
- The Listening Lounge music club
- Community Connections gatherings
📍 Nearby Libraries
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
All libraries in Menominee · Browse all Michigan libraries →
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Is Spies Public Library a Carnegie library?
No — it's a common mix-up. The building was privately funded by a $30,000 gift from Augustus and Elizabeth Spies and dedicated in 1905. The confusion comes from its architects, the Chicago firm Patton & Miller, who also designed many Carnegie libraries; the chateau-style Spies building was never a Carnegie grant.
What genealogy and local-history resources does the library hold?
Spies maintains a strong Menominee-area local-history and genealogy collection, including digitized runs of the Menominee HeraldLeader (1885–1926) and the Menominee County Journal (1893–2016), plus cemetery burial records and obituary indexes. Ancestry Library Edition is available free on the library's public computers on site.
When is Spies Public Library open, and is it open on weekends?
The library is open Monday through Wednesday 9 a.m.–6 p.m., Thursday and Friday 9 a.m.–4 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m.–1 p.m. It is closed on Sundays. Hours can change around holidays, so call (906) 863-3911 to confirm before a special trip.
Can I stream movies and borrow eBooks with a Spies library card?
Yes. A Spies card unlocks Libby/OverDrive for eBooks and audiobooks, Kanopy for films and documentaries, and hoopla for movies, music, comics, and more with no waitlists. Michigan eLibrary (MeL) adds statewide research databases and the MeLCat catalog for borrowing from hundreds of Michigan libraries.
✎ Notice something out of date? Suggest a correction and we’ll verify and update it.