In honor of National Library Week, April 8 – 14, 2018, we think about our favorite libraries and our good experiences at libraries through the years. The theme for National Library Week this year is “Libraries Lead.”
Between school libraries and public libraries, Winston-Salem residents have many opportunities to enjoy library resources and programs in a facility near our homes.
The Forsyth County Public Library branch locations have changed over the years, due to rebuilding or relocating or closing. Here is a synopsis of library branch history.
The Thruway Branch Library opened in July 1967 in the lower section of the Thruway Shopping Center. The branch library was in a popular location, near Sam’s Gourmet Restaurant, John Simmons, and Hickory Farms. But it was in rented space which became increasingly unaffordable, so the branch closed in June 2002.
The Reynolda Manor Branch Library was built in October 1964 at the Reynolda Manor Shopping Center. It remained in this location until May 1998, when the former Reynolda Cinema was converted to a library and replaced the former branch location. The old branch library building (just up the street a bit) was used for a variety of library offices over the years, and houses the Outreach Department today.
The Clemmons Branch Library had its beginnings in a former drugstore building on Highway 158 in 1967. Then, in 1977, the library moved to a building (shown above) that shared space with the Clemmons Courier. A full-service library branch opened in August 1984, also on Highway 158. A new Clemmons Library building is currently under construction.
The Kernersville Branch Library traces its history to a deposit station (similar to the image shown above) established in 1948 in a store owned by W. S. Linville. Then, it moved to a vacant jail building, and later to a very small building (shown above) that was used as an office by D. W. Harmon and later as the Kernersville Town Hall. The John R. Paddison Memorial Library Building opened in January 1971, financed by a donation by Mrs. Paddison in memory of her husband. A new Kernersville Branch Library is under construction.
Library services began in Lewisville in 1945 with a volunteer library which was supplemented later by the bookmobile. Just 40 years ago, Lewisville’s branch library was housed in a very small space in the Lewisville Plaza Shopping Center. A new library branch building opened in 2007 near Lewisville Elementary School.
The Rural Hall Branch Library opened in 1966 in a rented storefront facility on Broad Street. A new library building opened in March 1982, called the Rural Hall/Stanleyville Branch Library. In 2002 the solar atrium was converted into a new Adult Reading Room.
The original Southside Branch Library opened in 1971 on the corner of Konnoak Drive and Corporation Parkway. This building was demolished during construction of the Interstate 40 By-Pass. A new branch library was built in 1986 on Buchanan Street.
Walkertown received library services through the county’s bookmobile for many years. A new Walkertown Branch Library was constructed and opened in 1992 on Main Street.
The Malloy-Jordan/East Winston Heritage Center began as a branch library to serve African-Americans. The library was first located in the Chestnut Street branch of the YWCA, then it moved to East Sixth Street in 1931. A new building was constructed and opened in 1954 on East Seventh Street.
Carver School Road Branch Library was a joint venture with Forsyth Technical Community College. The library opened in 1998.
The new Central Library opened in 2017. Here’s a link to a then & now post on the new Central Library: http://winstonsalemtimetraveler.com/2017/09/15/forsyth-countys-central-library-then-now/
Visit a library during National Library Week…you have many choices!
See more images of the branch libraries at www.digitalforsyth.org. Find addresses and hours for each branch library at http://forsyth.cc/library/assets/Documents/Operating_hours.pdf
Stay tuned for the next historical post on April 15th.
Photographs courtesy of Forsyth County Public Library Photograph Collection.
The Thruway branch was the closest of the Forsyth Public Libraries to our home. We went there at least twice a month. I remember being thrilled that the staff did not give me any guff (as an 8-year-old) about how many books I wanted to check out – they simply did it. Afterward, we always stopped at Hickory Farms to smell the cheeses and summer sausage.