Original WPL 1908 Books Now on Display

If you’ve wandered up to the second level of the Washington Public Library recently, you may have noticed some new shelving that we have been filling with some rather old books. These books are part of the original Scofield collection that was gifted to the library in 1908!

Hiram Scofield was the eldest of 5 children, born and raised in Saratoga County, New York. He and his brothers relocated to Washington County in 1858, where he practiced law in partnership with Antis H. Patterson until 1861. During the Civil War, he served as a member of Company H, Second Iowa Volunteer Infantry, the first regiment to leave Iowa in service. He rose through the ranks, becoming a Brigadier General before completing his service in 1866. Upon returning to Iowa, he continued practicing law with his brother, William. He also served the community and was involved with many local organizations, including membership as a trustee of Washington’s Chilcote Library. Hiram’s brother, Dr. Darius Scofield was a driving force behind the establishment of a library in Washington, and also contributed volumes from his personal collection to the library. William Scofield and his wife donated books to the collection as well!

Scofield was an avid reader and his personal collection was estimated to contain 18,000 — 20,000 books. When he passed, his collection was reported to be the largest private library in the state of Iowa (possibly the largest collection west of the Mississippi River), and a portion of this collection was donated to the Washington Public Library. The Wellman-Scofield Library also received a portion of the collection, as did the Vassar and Wellesley College libraries. Now, some of the books that remain from that collection and have previously been tucked away in storage will be proudly displayed in the new shelves gracing the second floor. These books will be noncirculating, but will be available for viewing upon request.

The 200+ books that the library owns have been mostly in storage for the last several decades since the library hasn’t had the ability to both display AND protect them from damage. The new special collections shelving that allows for their display was funded through the City of Washington’s municipal grant from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation. Watch for a Washington Free Public Library Foundation event in the near future where you’ll hear more about this collection and what it contains!

Information from:

“History of Washington County: From the First White Settlement to 1908” by Howard Burrell (volumes 1 and 2) https://www.washington.lib.ia.us/about/library-history