It was poorly funded, and the city of Cherokee took over the library in 1898 after voters passed a referendum.

The Carnegie Corporation of New York had accepted the city's application for a grant for $10,000 on January 6, 1903.

Around the same time a new front entry was installed and interior renovations were made.

[3] The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

This article about a property in Cherokee County, Iowa on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub.