On July 28, 1910, William Bross Lloyd, Henry D. Lloyd, Demarest Lloyd and John B. Lloyd, children of the late Henry Demarest Lloyd and Jessie Bross Lloyd, presented the Village of Winnetka with three and a half lots to be used for a library.
Henry Demarest Lloyd was a 19th century political activist and investigative journalist. He started his career at the Chicago Tribune, where he gained fame for as the first ‘muckraker’ with his searing expose of the monopolies at John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Trust. He later wrote about corporate power in his book Wealth Against Commonwealth, a book that is still available in the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District’s collection. As a political activist, Lloyd worked to end child labor, to achieve clemency for the men accused of the Haymarket Bombing, and to alter the course of labor relations. LLoyd was also a prominent member of the Winnetka community, serving on the Board of Education and Village Council. He is credited for a having a leading role in the “Winnetka system” of self-government. After Lloyd died in 1903, his wife, Jessie Bross Lloyd, made plans to erect a library in Winnetka as a memorial to her husband. Mrs. Lloyd died in 1904 before the project could be completed, so her four sons donated the site to the library in 1910 in memory of their parents.
One hundred years later, the library still sits on the spot given as a memorial to the parents of the donors. Over the course of a century, much has changed inside the library. The original gift carried a stipulation that one room in the basement would be kept “for the use of the inhabitants of the village as a place where they may read, smoke, play cards and otherwise amuse themselves.” Today, smoking is prohibited in the building and the library’s collection includes printed books as well as Kindles, Playaways, and DVDs. Library patrons can join film discussions, participate in Facebook classes, and access materials 24/7. Despite changes in technology, the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District remains dedicated to providing access to materials and services to meet the informational, cultural and educational needs of every resident in the District.
On July 28, 2010, the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Lloyd’s gift with cake and refreshments from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Winnetka Main Library. Join us as we celebrate the occasion!
