History of the Library       

  Mrs. Ann Hopewell Smoot                                                                  Mr. Lewis Egerton Smoot                                                                                                                                                                             

        The Library was built in 1969 by Ann Hopewell Smoot in memory of her husband,  Lewis Egerton Smoot who died at the age of 82 in October of 1962.   Mr. Smoot was president and chairman of the board of Smoot Sand & Gravel. 

         The design of the library building is after the Mentor Public Library  in Mentor,   Ohio.  They have since expanded their building with a multistory addition that was added to the front of the building. Our  building was dedicated on  February 22, 1970 and opened its  doors to the public on March 2, 1970. On that day 110 county residents  registered for library cards, and 155 books were checked out.  

    The Memorial Room of our library is paneled in burled maple, topped by plaster cornices colored to match.  The parquet floor is covered by a 22 foot Imperial Kirman rug.  Draperies of Scalamandre brocade reported to have cost $300 per yard hang in the three windows.  Brass chandeliers hang above a 16 foot table of solid cherry with cherry side chairs. 

     A portrait of former Congressman Howard W. Smith hangs in the the Memorial Room, it was painted for the Library by Mrs. E. C. Hubbard of King George, who executed the likeness from a newspaper photo.  A 1957 portrait of Mr. Smoot was hung in the Memorial Room at the time of the dedication.   The 1960 portrait of Mrs. Smoot was hung in the Memorial Room at a private ceremony following the presentation of the ALTA award.   The two paintings on either side of the bookcases are views of Caledon, Mrs. Smoot's home, now Caledon Natural Area.  The hunting prints were personal favorites of Mr. Smoot.

     Mrs. Smoot ran and privately financed the library  from March 1970 until November of 1973.  On October 18, 1973 an Ordinance to Create the Board of Trustees was adopted by the Board of Supervisors, and on November 1, 1973 Mrs. Smoot donated the land, the library building and its contents to King George County.  At that time Mrs. Smoot donated $700,000  to established an endowment fund to help maintain the Library as a free public library. The income  from this fund is expended for library purposes, and the principal amount remains intact and is held for investment.  The finance committee of the Library Board of Trustees is responsible for the investment of these funds.