The History of Cowan Library

The first Cowan library was a “Lending Library” established inside the Cowan Post Office in 1930.  There's no record of how many volumes the library had, but Mrs. Myra Evans remembered that an average circulation of 30 books each month.  The self-service library was maintained by volunteers and never had a problem with missing books or late returns.

In 1946 or 1947 the library expanded and moved to the balcony of the Cowan Mercantile Co.  When the Scout House was built in the 1950’s the library relocated there to a special section of the building.  By this time the library had grown to more than 200 books and about 150 readers.  As in the past, it was staffed by volunteers taking individual shifts.

A bizarre accident at the Scout House occurred when a vehicle crashed through the building and did extensive damage to the library.  Soon thereafter, in 1966, the books were moved to Cowan City Hall, which at that time was located in the front section of the Genesco Building (today known as Monterey Station).  Two years later the books were moved to a separate room upstairs in the same building and remained there for nearly two decades.  In this timeframe, the library became part of the Highland Rim Regional Library system.  The volume grew to 2,120 books with a monthly circulation of about 200.

When a new industrial tenant moved into the Genesco building in 1979 the wear, tear and noise made it less desirable for a library.  In 1987 or 1988, the City secured an empty storefront on East Cumberland Street at the former Myers Antiques location and remained there for about a decade.

In the early 1990’s the City acquired the former Modern Beauty Shop building on Tennessee Avenue next door to City Hall.  This location provided for a larger and more accessible Police Department, but also provided plenty of space for the library.  The library moved there into a remodeled space in 1995, but problems with the building manifested very quickly.  Roof and structural problems exposed the books to moisture and mildew, but unfortunately funds were not available to properly fix the building.

Cowan City Hall relocated in 1997 to the former Regions Bank building on East Cumberland Street.  The library and police department remained on Tennessee Avenue until conditions were no longer acceptable.  The police department moved temporarily into an unused office at Cowan City Hall while the library moved into the vault room (with its beautiful and elaborate door!) of the same building.   In 1999 the police department and library moved into a newly constructed metal frame building on Monterey Street next door the fire department.

The library then moved in 2006 to the Cowan Welcome Center at the old Texaco station in the middle of town.  This gave the Police Department additional space but also gave the library a larger, more visible space in the middle of town.  In the first year at the Welcome Center the monthly circulation almost doubled.

Today’s Cowan Library offers 1,600 volumes of everything from novels, history books, and children’s books to periodicals and books on tape.  The interlibrary loan system gives Cowan readers access to thousands more books simply by making a special request through the local librarian.

With nearly eight decades of service to the community, Cowan Library is one of Cowan’s proudest assets! 

Succession of Cowan Librarians: Myra Evans, Wilma “Snooks” Windels, Rose Hancock, Carter Smith.  This list does not include the dozen or so volunteer librarians that have helped Cowan library throughout its many years of service to the community.

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