Key Events in Simsbury Free Library History

1872
Members of a Simsbury social and literary club begin to promote the idea of establishing a public library for the town and to give fundraising events.

1874
Amos R. Eno establishes a trust to fund a free library for the Town of Simsbury and appoints ten trustees. Thereafter, the SFL serves as Simsbury’s public library and is located initially in the Hop Meadow District School.

1890
Dedication of Simsbury Free Library building.

1924
Completion of the library building addition, a gift from Antoinette Eno Wood, the daughter of Amos and Lucy Jane Phelps Eno. Mrs. Wood also provided the decorative balustrade in front of the building.

1970
Simsbury Tercentennial Celebrated. Town of Simsbury assumes financial responsibility for the operation of the library and rents the SFL building from the trustees.

1986
SFL retains independent private status as Town of Simsbury establishes Simsbury Public Library in newly constructed building.

1986
Farmington Valley Watershed Association occupies second floor of the SFL building, including the FVWA’s Audubon Library collection.

1988
The Simsbury Genealogical and Historical Research Library (SGHRL) opens in the SFL building’s English basement. It is supported financially by its members and the SFL.

1991
Major renovation and restoration of SFL building completed. SGHRL moves to a portion of refurbished first floor.

1991
SFL building listed on the State of Connecticut Register of Historic Places.

1992
The Eno Foundation for Transportation entrusts the furnishings, artifacts and library from William Phelps Eno’s former office to the SFL. The William Phelps Eno Memorial Center is dedicated. It occupies the north end of the SFL’s main reading room. Mr. Eno is recognized internationally as the “Father of Traffic Regulation and Transportation Engineering.”

1992
Simsbury Chamber of Commerce occupies English basement level of the 1924 addition to the SFL building, bringing their business reference library.

1998
With a grant from the Ensign Bickford Foundation, a specially equipped archival room is added beneath the main floor to safely store the early business records and memorabilia of the Ensign-Bickford Company (which has operated in Simsbury since the 19th century) and other valuable historical records.

1998
A 5-foot-square stone plaque with the seal of the Eno Foundation for Transportation in high relief is added to the southeast corner of the SFL building.