Early Omaha: Gateway to the West

Benson Branch Library - Opened 1923

For 48 years this thriving neighborhood library bounced from one makeshift location to another until it found a permanent home at 60th and Binney where it stands today. In 1894, the first library in Benson Village opened inside a public school with 125 donated books. Then the tiny library opened in the rear of a neighborhood pharmacy, where the druggist earned a penny for every book circulated. After Omaha annexed Benson Village in 1917, the third branch of the Omaha Public Library opened atop the Benson Fire House in the summer of 1923. When the thriving one-room library outgrew its facilities 19 years later, the communities efforts for a decent space to house the growing collection paid off. Thanks to the Benson Women’s Club and City approval construction began in 1941. The depression of the 30s forced the creative use of recycled materials. W.P.A. labor utilized salvaged paving stones from 20th Street and old trusses to construct the quaint colonial Benson landmark. The new library hosted more than 300 guests at its open house in September 1941, just three months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

A 1997 renovation expanded the facility to three times its original size while keeping its charming design. Activities abound at the Benson Branch -- helpful librarians, teen chess clubs, summer reading club for kids and author events, combined with the dedication of the Benson residents, make this library a vital part of the neighborhood.

Text from "Literary bites: 125 years and Still Cooking:
Omaha Public Library Cookbook"
Written by Cookbook and History Commitee, 2002

Branches | Abrahams | Benson
Florence | Millard | Sorensen | South
Swanson | Washington | Willa Cather

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