tiptonmo.gif (1513 bytes)

Price James Library

The history of the Price James Memorial Library in Tipton is a very interesting one. The first owner of the land where the library now stands, at 104 East Morgan, was William Tipton Seely, who purchased it on August 7, 1850. He sold it on December 4, 1859 to William P. Tooley. There were 15 other land owners from that time until May 19, 1916, when it was sold to Sterling Price James.

The construction of the building came about in a strange way. W.H. Coleman, who had purchased the lot in 1891, had a very serious illness. The medicine that the doctor gave him caused him to turn blue. He sued the doctor and the company that made the medicine for $10,000 and with this money he built the attractive two-story mansion. The home was left to the City of Tipton by Olive J. Ashburst; and in 1981, the library, named after her father, was opened to the public.

Hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.; and Saturday 9 a.m. to 12:00 noon. For more information, call the library at (660) 433-5622.