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Gloucester County Library System

History of the East Greenwich Library

The East Greenwich Library was founded by Gretchen Peirce and her Girl Scout Troop in 1952 with the assistance of devoted Township residents and organizations. The Library was opened in a small shed-type building behind the Clarksboro Market on Kings Highway in Clarksboro. In 1962 Emma Engle, a native of East Greenwich and former librarian, rented three rooms in her home at the corner of Kings Highway and Cohawkin Road in Clarksboro to the Library. For 35 years, the Library was in Ms. Engle's home.

Before moving to its present location, the Library was short on space for close to 10 years. The Board of Trustees was unable to find a suitable space in town until May 1997 when it proposed leasing space in Berkley School Building to the East Greenwich Board of Education. Over the coarse of a year, the two Boards worked out the details for a lease agreement. For the next six months the Board of Trustees and the director worked non-stop with volunteers to renovate the space, which consisted of four classrooms and a spacious foyer/hall area, and which was three times larger than its previous facility.

On Tuesday, March 19, 1999 the Library opened for business at its new location on the corner of Kings Highway and Quaker Road in Mickleton. More than 200 people attended the grand opening celebration of the Library's new location on Sunday, April 18, 1999.

Questions and comments are appreciated. Contact us at gloucester@gcls.org

The Gloucester County Library System consists of five branches and two independent association libraries,
serving 14 communities in Gloucester County, New Jersey.

Gloucester County Board of Freeholders
Freeholder Director Stephen M. Sweeney  |  Freeholder Liaison Giuseppe (Joe) Chila


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