Simsbury Public Library

Library History

The Library can trace its history back to 1872 as the Town’s Social and Literary Club, the
Simsbury Free Library (SFL) served as the public library for the Town of Simsbury. The
designation “Free” was used to distinguish it from the subscription libraries that were common at
that time. The building was designed by the well-known Hartford architect Melvin H. Hapgood,
and donated by Amos R. Eno, a notable Simsbury resident. Mr. Eno’s daughter, Antoinette Eno
Wood later donated the rear addition in 1924. Under the terms of the Eno trust, the library was
operated by an independent, unpaid board of ten trustees. In 1970 the Town of Simsbury
assumed financial responsibility for the public library and began to lease the building from the
trustees. During its years as a public library, thousands of children and adults passed through the
building in search of entertainment, knowledge and enlightenment.

In 1985 the town responded to a rapidly growing population and the resulting increased library
use by opening the new, municipally-owned and operated Simsbury Public Library one block
away. The Library underwent a major expansion and held a grand opening to celebrate the
renovated Library in June 2008. In 2019, a second multi-use large program space, the Tariffville
Room, was added.

The Simsbury Public Library serves more than 1.000 residents daily and offers many programs
and services including homebound delivery, public PC workstations, museum passes,
Innovators’ Workshop MakerSpace, pollinator gardens, bicycle repair station, and a Business
and Career Center.