History
The building was originally constructed to serve the community as both a storm shelter and school. When classes moved to a new school, the building continued to serve the community above and beyond providing shelter in a storm. During the 1960s Hurricane Donna, the most powerful storm to strike the Keys since 1935, the building offered safety to many of the residents. Built to withstand such a calamity, the building weathered the Category 4 hurricane relatively unscathed. The building has been home to the Islamorada Branch of the Monroe County Library since 1966. Since, there have been two additions to the building, one in 1983 and another in 1999. The storm shelter's former interior cistern was transformed into the library's Florida Room. The historical resource has been filled with books, clippings, and relevant documents illuminating Keys history. It was curated by local historian and former library branch manager Jim Clupper.Library Services
The Library offers reading groups, film screenings, technology help, children's programs and more.“Library Locations.” Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys, keyslibraries.org/islamorada/. Accessed 27 Nov. 2023.Branches of the Monroe County Public Library
• Key West Library •Big Pine Key Library •Marathon Library •Key Largo Library •Islamorada LibraryReferences
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