Wagnalls Memorial Library
🏢 Wagnalls Memorial Foundation · Lithopolis, Ohio
Wagnalls Memorial Library
Built in 1925 by concert pianist Mabel Wagnalls Jones to honor the co-founder of Funk & Wagnalls, this $500,000 Tudor-Gothic landmark of native Lithopolis freestone displays two original Norman Rockwell paintings, a Welte Philharmonic pipe organ, and O. Henry's personal letters — all in a village of fewer than 1,700 people.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 10am–8pm |
| Tuesday | 10am–5pm |
| Wednesday | 10am–2pm |
| Thursday | 10am–8pm |
| Friday | Closed |
| Saturday | 10am–2pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 150 E. Columbus Street, Lithopolis, OH 43136
Phone: (614) 837-4765
Website: wagnalls.org
Plus Code: 86FVR52V+PJ (Lithopolis, OH)
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📖 About Wagnalls Memorial Library
The Wagnalls Memorial Library is a Tudor-Gothic masterpiece built in 1925 with native Lithopolis freestone at a cost of $500,000, dedicated by Mabel Wagnalls Jones to honor her parents Adam and Anna Willis Wagnalls, both born in the village. Adam Wagnalls co-founded the Funk & Wagnalls publishing empire, whose Standard Dictionary and encyclopedia shaped a generation of American readers; Mabel herself was a concert pianist who debuted at Berlin's Sing-Akademie in 1889 and a close personal friend of O. Henry, whose letters to her are displayed in the building. A founding member of the Central Library Consortium (established 1988), the library shares access to over 5 million CLC items and operates without local property taxes — funded since 2004 through Ohio's state Public Library Fund and the Wagnalls Memorial Foundation endowment. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the complex holds approximately 66,000 volumes alongside original Norman Rockwell paintings, a 350-seat auditorium with a rare Welte Philharmonic reproducing pipe organ, and the Walker-Hecox-Hickle Gardens completed in 2016.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Dedicated May 30, 1925 by Mabel Wagnalls Jones, daughter of Funk & Wagnalls co-founder Adam Willis Wagnalls — both his parents were born in Lithopolis log cabins
- Tudor-Gothic building from native Lithopolis freestone, designed by Columbus architect Ray Sims; called 'the finest Tudor-Gothic structure in America' by Success magazine (Sept. 1925)
- Two original Norman Rockwell paintings on permanent display near the Patron Services Desk
- Rare Welte Philharmonic reproducing pipe organ anchors the 350-seat auditorium — historically used as a motion-picture venue from the building's earliest days
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places; three historically sympathetic additions (1961, 1983, 1992) expanded the original complex without altering its character
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Wagnalls cardholders access Ohio's statewide research network and digital borrowing from home:
📚 Services
- Physical book, audiobook, and DVD lending (~66,000 volumes)
- Digital lending via OverDrive / Libby (ebooks, audiobooks, digital magazines)
- Genealogy research assistance and in-library Ancestry Online access
- Computer lab and technology services
- Community event venue: auditorium (350 seats), banquet hall (300 place settings), fully equipped kitchen
- CLC member library borrowing across the Central Library Consortium
- Walker-Hecox-Hickle Gardens — one-acre community garden open to visitors
- Podcast studio (funded by Fairfield County Foundation grant, 2024)
🎸 Programs
- Lil' Bookworms Storytime (ages 3–6)
- Summer Reading Program (2026 theme: 'Unearth Your Story')
- Genealogy workshops: 'Digging Deep into Family History' (ages 10+, no registration required)
- Teen and adult programming throughout the year
- Community theater productions in the historic auditorium
- Art exhibitions in the Rager Reading Room
📍 Nearby Libraries near Fairfield County
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the connection between the Wagnalls Memorial Library and Funk & Wagnalls?
Adam Willis Wagnalls, who was born in a log cabin in Lithopolis, co-founded the New York publishing house Funk & Wagnalls, famous for its Standard Dictionary and encyclopedias. His daughter Mabel Wagnalls Jones built and donated this library in 1925 to honor Adam and her mother Anna Willis Wagnalls, both Lithopolis natives. The Rager Reading Room inside displays original paintings that appeared as cover art in The Literary Digest, the Funk & Wagnalls flagship magazine.
Did O. Henry really write letters to someone connected to this library?
Yes. Mabel Wagnalls Jones was a close personal friend of the short-story writer William Sydney Porter, known as O. Henry. She received letters from him while staying with her grandmother in Lithopolis, and those original letters are displayed in the library building — an extraordinary piece of American literary history housed in a small Ohio village.
Is the Wagnalls Memorial Library on the National Register of Historic Places?
Yes. The Wagnalls Memorial Library, Auditorium, and Community Center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Fairfield County, Ohio. The original 1925 Tudor-Gothic structure, built from native Lithopolis freestone by Columbus architect Ray Sims, has been expanded three times — in 1961, 1983, and 1992 — using matching stone and materials that honor the original design.
Does the library levy a local property tax?
No. Unlike most Ohio public libraries, the Wagnalls Memorial Library operates without local property tax support. It is funded through Ohio's state Public Library Fund (since 2004), the Wagnalls Memorial Foundation endowment established upon Mabel Wagnalls Jones's death in 1946, grants from the Fairfield County Foundation, and donations — a unique nonprofit foundation model that has sustained the library for a century.
📜 This library has genealogy & local-history resources. See how library family-history research works and find other libraries with genealogy collections genealogy libraries by state.
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