Clinton Township Newsletter

2 5 j u n e 2 0 2 4 In 1799 the legislature of the State of New Jersey passed an act calling for the incorporation of "library companies." Among several hundreds of these companies, the Flemington Library Company was listed. Each member of the organization, which met once a year, could buy shares at $1 each. The size of the book determined the number of days that the book might be kept. Only on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, between the hours of 3:00 and 5:00, could books be borrowed. There were 75 titles listed in 1802. Sometime around 1834, the Flemington Library Company was dissolved, and for the next 64 years, books were circulated through private libraries and Sunday School libraries. Just before the turn of the century, the Flemington Woman's Club became vitally interested in starting a public library, and in 1901 the Flemington Library Association was founded with Mr. Hiram E. Deats as president. The first librarian, Miss Elizabeth Van Liew, earned $1 per week as her salary. Help came from numerous corners, not only from the Woman's Club, but from the Hunterdon County Historical Society's exhibits and from a popular store owner, Mr. Elias Vosseller. He had a large selection of books in his stationery store which he later sold to the Library Association for $500, with a return of $100 to the cause. The problem of a suitable home for the growing library was solved by two benefactors, Dr. William H. Bartles who left $10,000 for a building, and Mr. Hiram E. Deats who offered a corner lot as a building site. The land where the library was built had previously held the Forker House which had been demolished at an earlier date. All that remained was a gazebo, which is now the band stand in Borough Park next to the Woman's Club. The library was built in the Renaissance Revival architectural style. Notice the Ionic pilasters which frame the windows with keystone recessed arches and the dentilled cornice at the roof line. Finally, in March 1911, the Flemington F r e e P u b l i c L i b r a r y b u i l d i n g w a s dedicated. In 1938, a new wing providing a reference and non-fiction department on the first floor was added, with a children's room on the second floor. The architecture of the addition was entirely consistent with the existing structure, such that the juncture of the structures is not readily visible. In this same year, the Flemington Library Association became the Free Public Library of the Borough of Flemington, when the townspeople voted to have a municipal library funded by the taxpayers. In April of 1968, ground was broken for the Nedwill Sutphin wing, given by Mrs. Sutphin in memory of her husband, a former treasurer of the Board of Trustees, with matching funds from the borough. The Sutphin wing, designed by Arthur C. Aalholm, now houses the reading area with the fireplace, the circulation desk area, and a mezzanine area above for books, study areas, and displays. The Sutphin wing was updated in 2020 thanks to a bequest from Jane Kitchin. The vintage paneling was removed, having been deemed a fire hazard. A new vestibule was constructed and new carpeting, railings, and a new circulation desk were installed. Today the Flemington Free Public Library isn't just a great place to find your latest favorite read, they have a full calendar of fun events like morning and evening movies, game nights, book clubs, kids story times, summer reading programs, and more. On the second floor of the library is the Mediatech Foundation, a free, non-profit technology library stocked full of video games for all of the popular gaming systems. t h e h i S t o r y o F t h e F l e m i N g t o N F r e e P u b l i C l i b r a r y Based on an article by Katherine Higgins Bamber | 908-782-5733 | www.flemingtonlibrary.org photo courtesy of LoveFlemington

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