In 1950, Clinton W. Wilbur (nephew of Minnie Wilbur, one
of the first members of the Ladies Library Club) died, leaving the "residue
of (his) estate to the City of Farmington, to be used in the construction of
a Public Library Building in the City of Farmington, or as a contribution
toward the construction or equipping of a hospital in the city of
Farmington... whichever, in the discretion of the Farmington City Commission
seem(ed) more desirable".
On August 16, 1954, a similar gift was left by Miss Ruth Carlisle, a former
Detroit teacher and Farmington resident. Her will provided for "the residue
of (her) estate... to go toward the building fund of a new Public Library in
Farmington City and Township".
Thus, here was a possibility that funds might be available for the
construction of a library building, if Mr. Wilbur's bequest was not used for
a hospital. An examination of the potential Wilbur assets showed that they
would be insufficient to fund even a small hospital, but would go a long way
toward financing a library.
The Library Board decided that the paragraph in the Wilbur will should be
publicized to gain the communities' attention and support; this was done
through the newly-organized Farmington chapter of the American Association of
University Women (AAUW). The group sponsored a talk given by Mrs. Frances
Noonan, of the State Library. In her address, she suggested the formation of
a Friends of the Library group. The suggestion was quickly acted upon; the
Friends of the Library organized on October 5, 1952. The Friends concentrated
their attention on furthering the cause of the library by launching a
membership drive, sponsoring speakers, and openly soliciting donations for
the library.
The question of a hospital or a library was not resolved for another two
years. On June 15, 1954, a group of interested residents met in the city
council chambers. The Library Board and the Friends presented their case to
Mayor Kenneth Loomis, who appointed a committee to make a complete study and
report to the city and township governing bodies. Chaired by Edward Moseman,
the members were Mrs. Clarence Stole, for the Library Board; Harold Whiting,
for the Friends; Supervisor Ernest Blanchard, for the Township Board; and
Councilman James Cavanaugh, for the Council. Mary C. Allison, who would be a
prominent figure in the fight for libraries in Farmington, was designated as
secretary. The committee submitted its findings in a six-page report which
aroused wide interest and paved the way for future action.
Eventually it was decided that the funds should be used for a library,
partially because a hospital that would serve the area was being projected
for Livonia. Two obstacles immediately arose, however. The first was that
between the date of Wilbur's will and the date of his death, the City
Commission, which was to be entrusted with the administration of the funds,
had been succeeded by a City Council. The second question was whether the
library could be operated as a joint city-township venture as it had been in
the past, or must it be a strictly city venture, excluding the more populous
township? This was complicated by the fact that Michigan law did not
specifically authorize two units of government to establish an official
library board with customary powers.
It was this second problem that was resolved first; through the efforts of
Friends' director Wendell Brown, the State Legislature passed a special act,
No. 1364 on June 7, 1955, authorizing two or more municipalities to operate a
library jointly, and to set up a district library board with comprehensive
powers. Within a few weeks the City Council and Township Board passed
resolutions to create a district board; each unit appointed two members.
Farmington District Library became the first district library in the state.
District libraries have since become the preferred form of library
establishment law, with many districts forming or re-forming through the
years.
The first obstacle remained to be dealt with. The Wilbur estate had long
since been closed by Probate court, with its assets turned over to the city
of Farmington. Now, at the insistence of the new Library Board, the Circuit
Court was asked to reopen the case and hand down a judicial construction of
the paragraph in question. The court decided, on February 11, 1957, that the
assets of the estate should be released by the city to the new Library
Board.
After the decision, the Board president, M. C. Goodard Smith, called for a
survey of assets. The township had authorized a tax levy of .3 mill for the
administration of a new library district in February, 1956, which was
expected to raise $10,400 yearly. The city agreed to pay from its operating
budget an amount equal to the same millage on property within its borders. It
was presumed that State Aid would continue. The residue of the Carlisle
Estate, amounting to $12,133, was turned over to the Library Board. The
amount of the Wilbur funds (eventually $75,700) was not immediately
known.
It was soon evident that the annual income would be insufficient to maintain
an adequate library, and that the funds in hand would not permit the
construction of a building anywhere near a suitable size. Contributions were
then solicited in earnest with responses ranging from $2.00 on up.
In July, 1955 a real estate developer offered a new site to the Postal
Service, proposing a new building. If the Post Office accepted the
suggestion, the old post office building on Farmington Road would be put up
for sale by the same developer.
The Library Board and other citizens realized that, with extensive
remodeling, the old Post Office might be a suitable building for the library.
The realty company offered the building to the Library Board for $40,000
contingent upon the Post Office Department's approval of the new site and new
building. The approval came quickly, work began, and the Farmington District
Library was dedicated March 2, 1959.
