Chicopee Public Library

The beginnings of the Chicopee Public Library started in 1853 when the Cabot Institute donated its collection of nine hundred books to form a public library. The town voted on March 11, 1853 to support a public library from tax dollars, making the Chicopee Public Library the first library funded by public funds on the western side of the state. In 1879 the Chicopee Falls branch was started, followed by Willimansett in 1898 and Fairview in 1906. In 1907, Mrs. Spaulding donated $20,000 towards a new library building and on May 13, 1913, the Chicopee Library opened its first building built solely for the purpose of being a library. In 2004, the Library expanded again, opening its current location on 449 Front Street.