In 1973, the Crescent and Federated Clubs in the Cass County town of Lewis joined forces to organize a library in a room within the town’s community building. As the library grew, it moved to one of the stalls at the fire station, and then to its present Main Street building. The Lewis Public Library now contains over 5,000 items with a circulation averaging more than 3,000 items yearly.

On August 29, 2011, ground was broken for construction of a new Public Library and Heritage Center. Fueled by a former resident’s $50,000 donation and a $187,000 grant from USDA Rural Development, the new facility is expected to be completed in Spring 2012. In addition to library materials, the building will contain records and artifacts from Lewis’ 150-plus-year history.

The library’s Facebook page includes photos of the new building’s progress.