For more than 30 years the Danville Library has been entirely run with private donations and volunteers. Having outgrown their former site, the Danville Station Committee reached an agreement with the owner of Danville Lumber to re-purpose the former business and landmark building into the new library and museum. This opportunity allowed the project to be completed sooner than expected and instantly energized the Des Moines County community.
The extra space of the old lumber yard also provided room for a community room that can be rented for meetings and gatherings. In addition, the former owner had been in the process of converting an upstairs area into a 3-bedroom apartment that will provide monthly income to aid in defraying the costs of running the building.
Located within the museum is the Anne Frank Collection. This rich piece of history goes back to 1939 when Danville Teacher, Miss Birdie Mathews initiated a pen pal exchange for her class. Ten-year-old Juanita Wagner picked a name from the list of pen pals and chose a girl her own age who lived in Amsterdam. The girl’s name was Anne Frank. Anne’s sister Margot also corresponded with Juanita’s sister, Betty Ann. The Danville Museum is one of only two places in the world to view the correspondence from Anne and her sister.
The Library Board was happy to work with IPI Sales Representative Scott Klinefelter to design a new circulation desk, bookcases and an outdoor drop-box. The Danville Museum also purchased display cases for the rich history of Danville.