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Hampton Memorial Library
Although the official date of the library's beginning is April 30, 1935, efforts began as early as 1929 to provide a library in Easley. At this time (1929) the Easley Woman's Club, Easley Garden Club, Child Study Club and the Civic League set-up, sponsored and maintained Easley's first public library. It was two bookcases, housed (rent free), in Edwin L. Bolt's store on Main Street in Easley. However small, this library was to become the nucleus of what is now the Pickens County Library System.
By 1935, the Pickens County Library Association was organized and membership drives began. By the end of the first year over 4000 books had been donated. The library, needing more space, was moved to Commercial Bank, just up the street from Edwin Bolt's Store. The bank provided two rooms for the library. More books again forced a third move to the former high school known as the Lanier Building. A fourth move found the library across the railroad near the Easley Progress Office. A permanent home was needed. In 1947, the City of Easley bought a corner of the Lloyd Smith property on West First Avenue where a colonial building was constructed. This was through the generosity of E. S. McKissick, Sr. and other Easley benefactors who let the county use the building rent free. In this fifth move, the library found a place that it could really call home. In 1968 the building in Easley was expanded with an additional 7000 square feet bringing the total to 12,000 square feet.
As time went on this building became small and overcrowded. In May of 2001, nine acres of land was purchased from the Oates Family Estate on Biltmore Drive in Easley. The old buildings were torn down and the property cleaned up. This has become the location for the Captain Kimberly Hampton Memorial Library.
Recent News
Pickens County Library System Free Law Talks - August through November
FREE Legal Advice at the Pickens County Library System The Pickens County Library System, in collaboration with the South Carolina Bar, is hosting a series of FREE Law Talks from August to November at all four library locations. The first…
Read More »Pickens County Library System Bookmark Contest 2023
Make your mark! Design a bookmark and enter it in the 2023 Library Bookmark Contest, sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Submit your entry at any library location from now until July 31st. We will have cash prizes for winners from each library…
Read More »Hampton Memorial Library News - Author Talk With Marie Bostwick
Best Selling Author Kicks Off Book Tour at the Captain Kimberly Hampton Memorial Library Marie Bostwick is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of uplifting fiction. Her newest book, Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly, which debuts on…
Read More »Pickens County Sheriff's Office Brings Their Newest K-9s to the Library
Pickens County Sheriff's Office Brings Their Newest K-9s to the Library Meet Lily and Tank, the Pickens County Sheriff's Office newest K-9 recruits. The bloodhounds will be at the Captain Kimberly Hampton Memorial Library on Tuesday, May 23rd…
Read More »Pickens County Library System : Craft Supply Swap Meet
Exchange Craft Supplies at the Library! That thing taking up space in your craft closet might be just what another crafter is looking for! Bring your unwanted craft supplies to the Captain Kimberly Hampton Memorial Library in Easley before…
Read More »The Pickens County Library System’s 13th Annual Poetry Contest Starts March 1st
Celebrate National Poetry Month by entering your original poem between March 1st and March 31st! The contest is open to poets of all ages. A winner will be selected from each category: Youth (11 & under), Teens (12-18), and Adults (19 &…
Read More »Hampton Memorial Library News - January 3, 2023
Clemson Professor And Author To Visit Hampton Memorial Library In Easley Pickens County Library System is pleased to announce author, John "Mike" Coggeshall, will visit the Kimberly Hampton Memorial Library in Easley for an author talk and book…
Read More »Newbery Medal-Winning Author to Visit Hampton Memorial Library in Easley
Newbery Medal-winning Author to Visit Hampton Memorial Library in Easley Pickens County Library System is pleased to announce, Newbery Medal-winning author, Erin Entrada Kelly, will visit the Kimberly Hampton Memorial Library in Easley for an…
Read More »The Pickens County Library System News - September 1, 2022
The Pickens County Library System is pleased to announce its newest satellite branch for library services in Six Mile! Outdoor holds pick-up lockers will be available for use at Six Mile Town Hall, located at 106 S. Main St., Six Mile, SC.…
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