Our Building, from 1914 to today
Our building, originally the Shelton Public Library and Town Hall was built in memory of Sol G. Simpson, a Shelton pioneer and founder of Simpson Timber Company. It was a gift to the people of Shelton from Simpson's widow, Mary, and Alfred Anderson, another Shelton pioneer and Simpson's business partner, who died before construction was started. The building was dedicated on August 1, 1914. As the oldest existing civic structure in Shelton, this example of classic western architecture symbolizes the arrival of culture to the rough, young logging town.
The library took over the entire building when the town council moved to the new Shelton Memorial Building in November 1924. In 1930 a wing was added to the southeast side of the building. This addition was paid for by Mrs. Simpson and Alfred Anderson's widow, Agnes. A new library was built at Seventh and Alder in 1988-'89 on land donated by the Reed family. It was named after William G. Reed, grandson of Sol and Mary Simpson. In September 1990, the Mason County Historical Society opened a new museum in the historic old library/town hall building, which had been placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. In 2014, the Mason County Historical Society received a $76,300 grant from the Simpson Family Fund at The Seattle Foundation to restore and remodel the museum. |
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