West Pittston Library History

The oldest library in Luzerne County, the West Pittston Library was founded on September 12, 1873 largely through the work of professor W. J. Bruce and O. F. Gaines. Originally the West Pittston Library was known as the Pittston Library Association. The library consisted of two bookshelves housed in the Pittston Post Office on Main Street, Pittston. From the post office, the library was housed in a room in the Miners Bank Building. Then in 1899, the library was moved to West Pittston. It was furnished in the Brune Block Building on lower Wyoming Avenue.

Volunteers served as librarians until 1916 when the first paid librarian, Antoinette King, was hired. In 1922, the A. B. Brown property was purchased by the library association with the help of the Woman's Club of West Pittston. The library was moved to the new location in 1924 where it remains today.

To better serve the growing and changing community, a wing was added to the library in 1961 through a donation from Edwin F. Ferris. Hurricane Agnes took her toll on the West Pittston Library in 1972. The library suffered over $50,000 in damage from the flood including the loss of 2,200 books. The library was completely restored after the flood. Most recently, in 1998, a ramp was added to the library's front entrance to make the library handicapped accessible.

Librarians have included Antoinette King, Sarah Mason, Elizabeth Kipp, Charlotte Mason, Hazel Poe, Nancy Owens, Elsie Ellis, Myra Simons, Helen Dietrich, Barbara Weiskerger, Lauren Harris Grego, Brad Mahalsky, Marie Hoover, Betty Kasulanis, Barbara Edwards, Anne Ruggles, Barbara Ries, Mary Dotter, Charlene Berti, Jennifer Bromfield and currently Anne Bramblett Barr.