D. R. Moon Memorial Library

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, communities all over the state called for libraries to be built and funded for public use, though the concept of public libraries as they operate today would not have been familiar to everyone at that time. Book collections available through membership or subscription were increasingly being replaced by public collections, with the initial costs of building and equipping the library usually provided by charitable donations.

In Wisconsin alone, the most famous library philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, provided $1,045,511 to 63 libraries (Colson 1976, 198). Colson identifies 16 other individuals who made large contributions to Wisconsin libraries between 1882 and 1900. One of those sixteen was D. R. Moon, whose Northwestern Lumber Company was active in the area and who provided $12,000 to build Stanley’s library after he passed away in 1898. (The donation was made by Sally F. Moon in his honor). Though not on the scale of Carnegie’s grants, the people of Stanley were extremely proud of their benefactor’s generosity; on February 22 of 1902, one contributor to Stanley’s local newspaper, The Stanley Republican, wrote the following: 

“Chippewa Falls is to be congratulated on the probable acquisition of a Carnegie Library which promises to equal the Moon Memorial Library of this city. To receive it from Mr. Carnegie is better than having none but it should cause a blush to suffuse the cheeks of several opulent gentlemen who have accumulated millions of dollars within the sound of the musical waters of the lordly Chippewa and who are now chiefly engaged in setting on their money bags. There are men in Chippewa Falls who have missed the greatest opportunity of their lives and the fact will dawn on their benighted vision when, alas, it is to [sic] late. There are a few rich men in this country who have discovered something better than riches. Future generations will produce more of them.” (Letter to the Editor, The Stanley Republican, Feb. 22, 1902.)

M. T. McKnight, D. R. Moon’s successor as president of the Northwestern Lumber Company, also expressed interest in providing the funds for a library in Stanley. Though Mrs. Moon ultimately financed the library building, furnishings, and initial book collection, McKnight bolstered the library's holdings with a donation of 500 books in the library’s first year. (Taylor, 1985, section 8 and “A Rich Gift of Choice Books,” The Stanley Republican, May 17, 1902). Another staunch supporter of the library was the editor of the Stanley Republican, which offered space for the library to publish reports, announcements, and lists of new books. W. H. Bridgman also presented a bound volume of the year's newspapers to the library each year.

Hanna Ellis and Martha E. Dunn were among the first to serve as librarians. From its earliest days, the library offered not only books, but also programs and services. The library installed a telephone in 1902, hosted a yearly Teacher Reception, arranged public lectures, held a Story Hour for children, supported four literary societies, and provided event and meeting space for several high school groups. Annual reports for 1908 and 1909 also listed 30 periodicals, some of them in Norwegian, and visits from the Traveling Libraries, which were provided by the Wisconsin Free Library Commission among the library's offerings. Over the years, traveling Libraries with materials in English, Danish, German, and Norwegian supplemented the offerings in Stanley.

A strong partnership quickly developed between the public library and the school. Teachers had special checkout privileges and also made use of the library's collection of pictures, which according to the librarian's 1908 annual report "now numbers 595 and illustrates biography, literature, history, travel, religion, birds, trees and flowers." ("Need More Funds," The Stanley Republican, July 18, 1908.)

In 1985 the library was accepted to the National Register of Historic Places, notable for both its architecture and community significance.The description in the library's application reads:

"[T]he building's interior, composed of three rooms and a central open space, is largely unaltered. Dark antique oak ceiling beams, classical window moldings, and columns (These are Doric columns which stand on pedestals) distinguish the reading rooms and stack areas, with the same wood used to highlight the large fireplace in the east wing." (Taylor, 1985).

Whitney’s neoclassical design with its interior and exterior columns, original dark wood, and fireplace remain prominent features of the interior today, though over the years a side entrance and basement door have been added. In 1904 the Wisconsin Free Library Commission featured photos of the interior in a book about public library spaces. A caption reports 913 borrowers for the library at that time (Wisconsin Free Library Commission, 1904). Roughly 120 years after its establishment, the library remains central to community life in Stanley, providing library services to 2,655 registered borrowers in 2017 (Public Library Development Team, n.d.). It offers books, periodicals, public computers, programs, video games, movies, audiobooks, and a seed library. It is a member of the IFLS Library System, sharing resources with 52 other public libraries in 10 counties. 

Colson, John C. ""Public Spirit" at Work: Philanthropy and Public Libraries in Nineteenth-Century Wisconsin." Wisconsin Magazine of History 59, no. 3 (1976): 192-209. 

Colson, John C. "The Public Library Movement in Wisconsin, 1836-1900." University of Chicago, 1973.

"German Travelling Library." Stanley Republican (Stanley, WI), May 28, 1910. 

Gregorich, Elynor. The Library at Christmas. Dec.19, 2019. 

Gregorich, Elynor. Volumes of the Stanley Republican. May 21, 2019.

IFLS Library System. "What is IFLS Library System?" . Accessed Dec 2, 2020. https://iflsweb.org/home/what-is-ifls-library-system/.

Letter to the editor. Stanley Republican (Stanley, WI), Feb. 22, 1902. 

"Library Notes." Stanley Republican (Stanley, WI), March 29, 1902.

"Need More Funds." Stanley Republican (Stanley, WI), July 18, 1908.

"People Use It." Stanley Republican (Stanley, WI), Aug. 7, 1909.

Public Library Development Team. “2017 Wisconsin Public Library Data by Library”. Distributed by the Wisconsin Department of Instruction, Division for Libraries and Technology. Accessed December 2, 2020. https://dpi.wi.gov/pld/data-reports/service-data

“Received and Dedicated: Moon Memorial Library Formally Transferred to the Library Board in Trust for the People.” Stanley Republican (Stanley, WI), Dec. 21, 1901. 

“A Rich Gift of Choice Books.” Stanley Republican (Stanley, WI), May 17, 1902. 

Taylor, Mary E. “D. R. Moon Memorial Library,” National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service, 1985.

Wisconsin Free Library Commission. Some Wisconsin Library Buildings. Madison: Wisconsin Free Library Commission, 1904.