Vespasian Warner Public Library District
About Us
The Vespasian Warner Public Library District (VWPLD) serves Clinton, Wapella, Hallsville, Lane, Dewitt and surrounding areas. We offer books, magazines, DVDs, Blu-Rays, CDs, audio books, eContent, videogames, public access computers, wi-fi access, learning kits, reference help and meeting rooms.
The Free Clinton Library (FCL) was founded in 1901 by the Clinton Chapter of the P.E.O. and given to the city. The FCL's collection of 700 books was housed in the same building as Rundle's Meat Market.
Also in 1901, long-time Clinton resident Clifton H. Moore bequeathed his collection of more than 7,000 books to the city, provided a proper building could be provided to house them. Moore's son-in-law, Congressman Vespasian Warner, donated the money and land necessary to build a new, permanent library. Construction began in 1906 and the Vespasian Warner Public Library (VWPL) opened in 1908.
In April of 1989, a referendum was passed to change VWPL from a city to a district library. The Vespasian Warner Public Library District provides services to Clinton, Lane, DeWitt, Wapella, and outlying areas.
In 1992 VWPL opened a new addition to the public. The addition, called the "New Building" by staff, houses the circulating collections, public-access computers, meeting rooms, and the DeWitt County Genealogical Society (DCGS) and VWPL's local history collection.