West Hempstead Public Library

The West Hempstead Public Library and the West Hempstead Historical and Preservation Society work together to bring the area’s history to the public.

The West Hempstead Public Library was founded in 1956 by a group of public-spirited citizens. Its first location was in a small storefront on Hempstead Avenue, near Poplar Street. A provisional Charter was approved on Sept. 30, 1960, and the official Charter was granted on June 23, 1967. The library serves the West Hempstead Union Free School District.

Since then, the library has resided in several locations. Its first location in 1956 was in an old Victorian home found at 251 Woodlawn Avenue. The second was 323 Hempstead Avenue. Later in the 1960s, the library moved next to the Mutual Engraving Building on Hempstead Avenue. By 1982, the library had expanded and was relocated to the first floor of 252 Chestnut Street, which had housed the Chestnut Street School. On October 21, 2007, a new library building opened to the public at its current location, 500 Hempstead Avenue.

The West Hempstead Historical and Preservation Society was founded in 1983 as a non-profit. Its mission is to collect and to preserve historical materials relevant to our community and to use them to educate the public about its rich history. Currently, there are 25 members and over 1,200 Facebook followers.

The Society possesses over 500 original photos dating from 1900 to the present. Copies of photos from various sources total in the thousands. Artifacts from different time periods (books, typewriters, phones, washboards, toys, tools, etc.) and memorabilia specific to West Hempstead history (old programs, diplomas, report cards, tickets, bank account records, bills, ration tickets, newspapers and the like) number in the hundreds. It also possesses a collection of West Hempstead High School yearbooks spanning from 1954-2021. Society meetings are held at the local Riesterer’s Bakery or the West Hempstead Public Library.

The library is home to a permanent display of 40 archived photos in the Board Room, and a main floor display which highlights a different historical topic quarterly. The main floor also features a photo collection celebrating the library’s 50th Anniversary. This exhibit, uniquely displayed on original shelving from the 1956 library building, showcases each former location of the library and a write-up of its history.