History of the Ivanhoe Branch Library

The Ivanhoe Branch was established March 19, 1914, as the Venice Hill Branch in Waddle’s store. The branch was open daily, with Mr. Waddle as the custodian. The salary was $2.50 a month.

The store was sold twice, in 1914 and 1925 with the Branch remaining in the store.

In 1928, Mr. O.L. Permenter bought the store and was appointed custodian. He built new shelves to accommodate more books in the corner of his store and more books were circulated. Mr. Permenter sold his store in 1931 and the library remained with the store until 1936.

Between 1936 and 1943 the library moved to Coffee’s Store, Main’s Hardware Store, Fobe’s Variety Store, and Mrs. Crockett’s grocery store. In 1944, Mrs. Lina G. Stauffer was appointed custodian and the library was moved to a cabin next door to her house and set up with shelving, tables and chairs.

It moved three more times between 1945 and 1950.

The Ivanhoe Garden Club started raising money for a library in 1945. Through flower shows, and donations, they raised enough money to pay for a lot, and the County put in the rest. A dedication tea for the new Ivanhoe Memorial Library was held October 1, 1950 under the auspices of the Ivanhoe Garden Club. The Library is dedicated to the rummage sales and public service men and women from the Ivanhoe area who served in World War II.

Sources for this article are; Branch histories and timelines written by Tulare County librarians, and information from articles from the Visalia Times Delta, Nov. 16, 1946, and Oct. 2, 1950. These materials and photos are available in the Annie Mitchell History Room at the Visalia Branch.