Anne Keam and her husband Milt were pivotal in getting Byron its first actual library and moving it from the church basement into its own building. Finally, in 1954, plans were ready to build on the remaining corner of the Halls Mill and Commissioners Road lot and the dream of a real library came true after 20 years. The new library opened on November 11, 1955, with a stone cross inlaid in the front
Byron Memorial Library Turns 90 In a nondescript building at the corner of Halls Mill Road and Commissioners Road West sits the quiet, unassuming, yet stead- fast hub of the Byron community. For 90 years, Byron’s library has been a place where children and adults alike come to relax, read, and research.
(L-R) Library Staff Mrs.Spicer, Mary Shantz, Anne Keam, Milt Keam, Verna Davis c1955
Members of Byron’s Women’s Institute had a dream of creating a place to encourage reading and community in their neighbourhood.
Byron Library in United Church basement
wall of the building in memory of those who had lost their lives in the war. The building was dedicated at the opening ceremony where guest speaker Angus Mowat, Director of Public Libraries, reminded the audience that a library was a place where everyone could come together – the only place of its kind in the village. The total cost of the new Byron Memorial Library was $10,000. A provincial grant funded sixty percent, and the community rallied to raise the rest. A bequest from long-time library supporter Joseph Cassady was among the contributions. The first staff were Alice Spicer, Mary Shantz and Verna Davis. When Byron was annexed to the city of London in 1961, the Byron Memorial Library became part of the London Public Library System. The city demolished the building housing the library in 1972 and rebuilt it in its current location. What started with 24 books in one woman’s house has grown into an active resource centre with thousands of books, reference materials, computers, and active living programming for young and old alike. The Byron Library remains a quiet, unassuming yet steadfast hub where the community can relax, read and research, and hopefully, will for another 90 years.
In 1934, they gathered 24 of their own books and kept them at Mrs. F. Ellis’s home at 247 Centre Street (now Halls Mill Road). By 1935, the Women’s Institute had officially founded the Byron Public Library. By 1936, the number of books had outgrown the Ellis home, and the library was relocated to the basement of the relatively new Byron United Church on Commissioners. The white brick church, built up the block from the site of the current library for $1,600, was opened in 1885 as the Byron Methodist Church of Canada. The building became Byron United Church in 1925 after the merger of four Protestant denominations: the Presbyterian Church in Canada, the Methodist Church (Canada, Newfoundland and Bermuda), the Congregational Churches of Canada, and the General Council of Local Union Churches. The church eventually relocated to its current home at the corner of Boler and Byron Baseline Roads in 1956, leaving the old church to be repurposed for commercial use. The Byron Public Library continued growing, and land to build an actual library was procured from the London Public Utilities Commission (PUC) thanks to the efforts of Mr. and Mrs. W.P. Simpson, who were the chairman and secretary of the library board at the time, and librarian Mrs. Kate Chapman. However, the land was used to build a fire hall instead, putting the idea of a stand-alone library on the shelf. A new board was convened in 1947 with Chairman N.T. Sanderson, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Davis, Mr. Milton Keam, and his wife, Anne, as secretary/treasurer. Anne would live to become Byron’s matriarch and longest-living resident, passing away in 2018 at age 110.
1953
2025
Laura Medina Agent Bus: 519-204-7277 laura@lauramedina.ca Laura Medina Insurance Agency Inc. 440 Boler Rd. Suite 208
London, ON N6K4L2 www.lauramedina.ca
To advertise here please contact Barb@villagerpublications.com
Page 7 Byron Villager July/Aug 2025
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs