Public libraries play an important role in the education of a community, and Wareham’s library history proves just that. Did you know that in 1890, the Monday Club established the first library above a hat shop on Main Street? Soon overcrowded, the library moved in 1913 to the “Redmen’s Building” near the Narrows. In 1915, Mrs. Blanche Tobey offered land and the construction of a library on the corner of High and Centre Streets in memory of her son George. The building was presented to the Wareham Free Library Corporation in 1916. Although a private library, the Town appropriated a total of $526.36 to assist in its operations that year. Tobey library was refurbished in 1971, and in the late ‘70s the Town began to offer more monetary support and to appoint its Library Trustees. It eventually became clear that Wareham needed a larger facility. Under the guidance of Library Director Mary Jane Pillsbury, grants were applied for, the Town agreed to funding, and the lot at 59 Marion Road was chosen for the new library. The Wareham Free Library, a town-owned building, opened on May 6, 1991.