A local women's club planted the seeds of a library in 1923

The library's roots trace back to 1923, when members of the Foley Community Welfare Club — which later became the Foley Women's Club — began working to bring books to the community. In May of that year, the club set a goal to collect 500 books. Members were asked to contribute a book and to encourage others in Foley to donate as well.

By September 1923, The Onlooker reported that club members had collected more than 300 books. The following month, the club reached its 500-book goal and opened the library. Fifty residents paid $1 in annual subscriptions to use it.

The library's first home was a space within Foley Furniture Co., a business owned by Metta Christensen's husband. Christensen served as the library's first unpaid librarian.

In 1927, the library moved to its first permanent home after Herman Dreis donated a small house on the south side of John B. Foley Park. The Foley Women's Club continued operating the library until 1957, when members asked the town to assume responsibility for the facility.

As Foley grew, the need for more space grew. The City Council approved an expansion of the original building, adding a new west wing, a central reception area, and a circulation room. The City Council dedicated the expanded library on Nov. 18, 1962.

That building served Foley for the next 22 years. In 1984, the library moved to a larger facility next to City Hall. The facility was expanded in 2008 with the addition of a second floor and remained the library's home until the new building opened in August 2026.

Today, the former library building at the intersection of North McKenzie Street and East Laurel Avenue serves as the Foley Welcome Center. Its reception area was once the library's circulation room, and the original 1927 structure now houses offices on the building's east side.

The city also plans to repurpose the former library building next to City Hall. The current plan calls for the building to be renovated for use as city administrative offices.

The Foley Women's Club's connection to the Foley Community Library lives on in the new facility on East Orange Avenue. Before the club dissolved, members donated a portion of its remaining funds to the library. That donation helped create the new sensory nook, which was named in honor of the Foley Women's Club.

More than 100 years after its members began collecting books, the club's legacy remains woven into Foley's library and its mission to serve the community.