Milton Public Library

The town of Milton was established on September 16, 1876, and was incorporated and named in honor of John Milton Rece, one of the largest landowners at the time. During the early 1900s, oil and gas were discovered in the area, but it was primarily known for its fertile farmlands. One of the city's iconic landmarks is the Blenko glass factory, which was established in 1922. It is the only glass company in the state, and it currently employs approximately 60 workers. Another prominent landmark is The Union Baptist church which was founded in 1809. This church bears the scars of the Civil War, as is evidenced by the numerous bullet holes in its structure. 

In October 1904, twenty- six members of the community pooled their resources together, bought a piece of land, located at the corner of Canton Avenue & Redesdale Road and donated it to the town of Milton for a library, however, the library was never built at that location. The first officers of the Women’s Club of Milton founded this library on December 6th, 1927 with the main objectives of attracting young readers. Initially, the library was housed in the United Methodist Church on Smith Street, and had a collection of 105 books. 

On October 5, 1971, there was a groundbreaking ceremony for the new library building. The event attracted many residents of the community, including, a little Chris Crookshanks who was excited to be an active participant in the ground baking event. The new building was dedicated on November 8th,1981. As the population grew, they added 4,000 square feet at the rear of the stack wing.  In 1988, significant improvements were made to assist handicapped access. The children’s room was refurbished with new lighting, stacks, and carpet; the desk and office area was also added.

The Milton Library currently has over 47,000 items including books, magazines, Blue Rays, DVD, CD Music, Audiobooks, and computer terminals with access to the internet. In addition, the library also provides fax services, copy services, and notary services. The library makes rooms available for conferences. Milton library also offers summer programs for students during their lengthy vacation and 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten.

Sullivan, Ken, ed. The West Virginia Encyclopedia. Charleston: West Virginia Humanities Council, 2006.