OUR HISTORY

The Downingtown Library was first established in 1829 as a private collection of books to serve member families. On January 27, 1876, the Downingtown Library Company was formed to “sustain a library and reading room for the Borough of Downingtown”. In 1914, the Library Company moved to The Miss Thomas Boarding School property on Lancaster Avenue. Over the years the Library expanded from one room to the entire first floor and back porch and finally to the entire building. In January 2015, the library moved into a newly renovated building at 122 Wallace Avenue, adjacent to Kerr Park.

The Downingtown Library joined Chester County Library as an associate member in 1961 and became a participating member of the Chester County Library System in 1979. Today, the library serves many purposes for the Downingtown area and surrounding communities. The library provides various activities, such as book clubs, story times, and educational programs to the general public, in addition to circulating over 175,000 items per year.

Located in the Borough of Downingtown, next to Kerr Park, Downingtown Library is the heart of the community, in the center of Chester County. Downingtown Library is a 501(C)3 nonprofit public library. The Library is supported by governmental contributions, which provided 46% of the Library’s annual budget in 2018, with the balance of income coming from contributed sources like individual donations, foundations, corporations, grants, and special events. EIN 23-1440113