The Village of Hales Corners was incorporated in 1952. At that time, the Village contracted with the Milwaukee Public Library to allow Village residents to use its Oklahoma Branch Library. In 1959, the contract was revised to provide Milwaukee Public Library Bookmobile service to the Village.
This continued for 15 years, ending in 1976. On March 13, 1972, the Hales Corners Village Board passed a motion supporting the establishment of a municipal library. The first Hales Corners Public Library opened in January 1975, and was located in the basement of the Village Hall. In January 1976, the library was relocated to the former St. Thomas Episcopal Church building. The current Hales Corners Public Library, a 13,500 sq. ft. structure, was constructed in 1984 and officially opened in January 1985.
An interesting feature of the library location is its proximity to the historic W. Ben Hunt Prairie and Cabin (just south of the library). Mr. Hunt was a long-time Village resident and a well-known naturalist and author whose articles were featured frequently in the publication “Boys Life Magazine.”
