History Keeps Rolling
The Washington County Free Library introduces sleek new bookmobile
When the Washington County Free Library decided it needed a way to get books to residents throughout the county and not just in Hagerstown, it was ahead of its time, and in 1905 it established the first bookmobile in the United States.
A horse-drawn cart to deliver books to rural areas was the idea of Mary Titcomb, the first WCFL’s first librarian. She had established a successful program of sending boxes of books to general stores and post offices in rural towns. But she wanted to make it easier for rural residents to get books. She sketched out a “library wagon,” got the idea approved by the board of directors and began interviewing wagon makers who could build her concept of shelves for books on the outside of the wagon.
The finished wagon took to the streets in April 1905, driven by Joshua Thomas, who covered many miles of county roads to get books directly to remote houses. It was a rousing success.
Titcomb wrote: “Any account of this first book wagon work, the first in the United States, would be incomplete without the statement that this method of rural library extension has been adopted in many states in the Union, and that new book wagons are being put in operation each year.”
In August 1910 the book wagon was ripped to shreds when it was hit by a freight train while crossing the Norfolk and Western Railroad tracks near St. James. In 1912 WCFL introduced the first motorized book wagon, beginning a long history of bookmobiles in Washington County. In May, WCFL dedicated its newest bookmobile.
The new bookmobile allows for carts of books to be taken off the vehicle so books can be taken into community centers, schools, daycares, senior care facilities, and homes for patrons to access even more easily.
“Our library holds the unique distinction of having introduced the very first bookmobile in the country,” WCFL executive director Jenny Bakos said at the dedication ceremony. “Today, we reignite that pioneering spirit, reaffirming our commitment to innovation and accessibility. This new bookmobile symbolizes more than just a vehicle. It represents our dedication to ensuring that everyone, regardless of where they live in our county, has access to the wealth of knowledge and resources our library offers.”
Serving the Cumberland Valley and surrounding areas since 1898, WCFL is building on that legacy of innovation with the new, sleek, smaller bookmobile that can access stops the bus-size bookmobile can’t. This version of the bookmobile—the WCFL’s first new one in 20 years, adorned in a wrap created by the library’s in-house graphic designer Laura Tietz, showcasing one of the county’s iconic stone bridges and its southern border.
“Here’s too many more miles of knowledge, discovery, and connection,” Bakos said.