In 1935, a public meeting was held in the Bremer County town of Fredericksburg to formally organize a library organization. During the meeting, board members were elected, bylaws were drawn, and letters were sent to local organizations asking for help financing the library. The library was housed in the upper room of a local store until 1954, when it moved within the community hall building.

In 1975, resident Vern Upham purchased and donated a building to the city for use as a standalone library facility to be named in memory of his wife Dahlia. The library’s floor space was doubled after an expansion project was completed in 1995.