History and Description of the Norton Public Library
The Norton Public Library was incorporated in 1886. The first public library building was donated by Eliza B. Wheaton in 1888 and served its purpose well for over a hundred years. The town outgrew this space and in 1978 the town unanimously designated a property on East Main Street as the future site of the new library. In 1986, voters approved bonds for $1,550,000 for the new building. Soon afterwards, the Balfour Foundation awarded the Norton Public Library a grant of $1,000,000. Half of this money was to be used for “bricks and mortar,” and half was to be used as an endowment to help maintain the facility. Because of the generosity of the Balfour family, the library is known as “Norton Public Library – L.G. and Mildred Balfour Memorial.” The library is an independent public library in Massachusetts with an Association/Corporation governance structure (501c3).
The current building opened in 1991; it is a 12,000 sq. ft. facility with an unfinished second floor, accessible parking, a community room, study rooms and an area for meetings which houses the local history collection. We have been in our present location for 31 years. Although the original plan was to have expanded to the second floor years ago, budget constraints have put the expansion on hold. We have a park adjacent to the library, which opened in 1999. The Library Park is used frequently by the public and the library. Park maintenance is overseen by the library. Funds to maintain the library park include donations and money from the library trust.
