The association's members included William Bullen, one of the founders of Southport, and Frederick Winslow Hatch, the Episcopal rector of St. Matthew's Church and former Chaplain of the United States Senate.

[14] With their support assured, on the evening of November 14, 1895, 40 prominent local residents assembled in the parlor of the Hotel Grant to begin the process of establishing a public library board.

[15][16] At the meeting, a five-member organizing committee was nominated and elected, comprising Johnston and businessmen Colonel William W. Strong, James Cavanagh, George A. Yule, and John O'Donnell.

[15] On December 20, 1895, the committee formally incorporated the Kenosha Public Library, with a constitution and bylaws providing for election of officers, a board of directors, and a provision that any county resident "of good repute," be eligible to join the library association upon agreeing to the terms of membership and payment of annual dues of $2.00; the fee was intended for purchasing books and covering other expenses.

[14] The first Kenosha Public Library opened on March 14, 1896,[23] with Clara Barnes as librarian and an initial collection of approximately 1,200 volumes, 400 of which were fiction.

[26] In late 1898, with donations and association fees insufficient to sustain the library, the city council was approached to provide a one-mill tax appropriation to guarantee its existence.