Cragin Memorial Library History
Colchester was established in 1698 at an important colonial crossroads and served as one of Connecticut's earliest manufacturing towns. Private library associations serving the residents of the town began as early as the 1820s. Membership in the library associations cost $1.00 or $2.00 per year--equivalent to a basic cable TV subscription today. In the earliest days, members could pay for their membership with their produce, such as potatoes, corn, etc. Over the years, Library association collections were located in several buildings, and the collections were lost twice in building fires.
In 1903, Dr. Edwin B. Cragin donated $30,000* for the construction of a 4,000-square-foot building in memory of his father Edwin T. Cragin. The Colchester Library Association donated its collection and the Town agreed to support the operations of the Library, which was opened to the public in July 1905. The Library was governed from 1905 to 2002 by the Cragin Memorial Library Board of Trustees.
The Library's Board of Trustees, chaired by Mrs. Lynn Norton, and Library Director Siobhan Grogan spearheaded an expansion effort, leading to the renovation of the 1905 building and the addition of a 16,000-square-foot expansion, completed in September 2002. The Library became a town department in 2002.
Today the Library offers a collection of over 81,000 physical items including board games, puzzles, and DVDs and provides access to thousands of digital materials including ebooks, e-audiobooks, periodicals, and streaming videos. Library programs enrich the lives of people of all ages. The Library offers spaces for quiet work and for the community to come together to learn, relax, and collaborate.
List of Library Directors, 1905 to Present:
Matilda L. Avery 1905-1914
Mary A. Leal 1914-1920
Mrs. Charles Beebe 1920-1946
Matilda L. Avery 1946-1954
Della F. Thompson 1954-1955
Alma O. Holmes 1956-1962
Marguerite Schale 1963-1984
Elsie Treggor 1984-1993
Debra Carrier Perry & Siobhan M. Grogan 1993-1997
Siobhan M. Grogan 1997-2009
Kate Byroade 2009-
*Worth about $3,000,000 in today's dollars.