I have been going to the Dillon Public Library for over 50 years. The Dillon Public Library was the first Carnegie Library to open in Montana. The doors opened December 27, 1902. Mary Hooker was the founder of the first library in Dillon. She moved to the Dillon area in the 1880s and is the great niece of Harriet Beecher Stowe (author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin). She was a member of the Shakespeare Club, the second oldest continuing book club formed in the state of Montana, and used her own books and house as a library. In 1901 Andrew Carnegie gave the city of Dillon $7,100 to build a library. The building is made of stone that was mined northwest of Dillon by a woman miner named Katie Fitzsimmons. The original design included a turret room, which Mr. Carnegie refused to pay for. Mary Hooker was set on having a turret room and covered the extra expenses. The building was completed in 1902 with a final cost of $8,600. There are four gargoyles on the building. The pictured gargoyle is named Afternoon Happy. He can be found on the front south side corner of the building. Grumpy Morning can be found on the front east corner. The two back gargoyles are not named (lack of funding). This late example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture came from architect Charles S. Haire, who would become one of the state’s most significant early 20th century designers. The Dillon Public Library is still very active and plays a big part in the community.
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