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City of Roy Library History
Site History:
 The first known inhabitants of the land which is today the City of Roy were members of the Nisqually Indian Tribe (originally known as the Squally-absch, meaning "people of the grass country"). Although they relinquished exclusive occupancy rights in the 1854-55 Medicine Creek Treaty, the Tribe was allowed to use unclaimed land including what is currently Roy (called the Muck Creek Area) for their "usual and accustomed" hunting and fishing grounds.
The Spaniards first landed on the Washington coast in 1775, but George Vancouver and his expeditionary party were probably the first whites to come inland to the Roy area in about 1792. Settlers began arriving in the late 1840s, although trappers had been going through the region since about 1824. In 1846, the Oregon Territory was established from Canada to California. The Oregon Territorial Legislature created Pierce County in December 1852 (named after President Franklin Pierce) and congress created the Washington Territory in 1853. Washington became a state in 1889. The first Pierce County census in 1857 showed 415 names. A railroad was built through the area in 1873 and the site which would become Roy was known as "Media" because it was midway between Tacoma and Tenino on the rail line.
Employees of the Hudson Bay Company were the first whites to make Pierce County area land claims in the 1830s. The first known claim for the land which became Roy was made by Louis Latour and registered in February 1850. Parts of the original 639+-acre claim passed among family members for 20+ years. In 1874, Henry Andrews purchased a half-section for $350 and eventually, he purchased the rest of the claim. In May 1882, he sold the entire claim for $1,000 to J.R. Lewis who, the following year, sold it to James McNaught for $4,000.
While inspecting the Media land purchase, McNaught with his friend and eventual cofounder, Dr. Samuel Warren, decided it would be an excellent place for a town. They named it for his son, Roy McNaught, and officially platted the townsite in 1884. In March 1889, the land where the library is located was added (McNaught's First Addition to Roy). The City of Roy was incorporated in 1908.
Dr. Charles Beach moved to Roy in 1901 and set up a medical practice there. He bought up many of the McNaught holdings in 1904.
Thomas and Mary Throssell and their family homesteaded near Roy in the early 1890s. Their daughter, Hannah (the recently-widowed Mrs. H. J. Oliphant), purchased the block of land that contains the library site from Dr. Beach in about 1908.
On Dec. 1, 1916, Mrs. Oliphant sold the library lot to the Christian Science Society of Roy for a church and reading room. Total price: $150. Church members took little time to construct a building on that site.
In June 1971, the City of Roy purchased the land and the building from the Christian Science Society for $2000. In 1973, the building opened its doors as the Roy Library.
Photos above courtesy of Joel Derefield, Roy Historical Society; sketch by Joel Derefield.
Library History:
The early history of the Roy library is scanty, at best. According to old records, in 1915 an organization called the Harmony Club asked the Roy town council to use the town hall as a library. According to one source, the Harmony Club was a social group of Jewish men under age 30 first organized in 1860. One of their prime objectives was to sponsor reading rooms (libraries). The club, which later began admitting women, was mostly dissolved by 1930 due to dwindling membership. It is unknown if this is the same group that petitioned the Roy town council or if the Harmony Club ever operated a library in Roy.
In 1924, the Roy town council moved to arrange for a state travelling library and appointed Thomas Hynes as librarian. It is unknown what became of this action.
A city library was possibly established by the Roy schools PTA in the early-to-mid-1940s, although no specific information is currently available. At that time, Roy was a separate school district, consolidating into Bethel School District in 1949.
The first confirmed activity was on May 20, 1947 when the Roy Library became part of the Pierce County Rural Library System. It was housed at the Roy Town Hall until the refurbished Christian Science Society building opened in 1973. At the end of 1979, the Pierce County Library System closed the Roy branch after a decline in use. The Roy City Library, under the direction of librarian, Rose Loveless, and with the efforts of the Friends of the Roy City Library, then became one of the few small, independent city libraries in the state of Washington.
After several years of effort, Community Development Block Grant funds were obtained and the old library building (formerly the Christian Science Society building) was moved to the Roy City Park in mid-1996 where it still serves the City of Roy.
A new, modern Roy City Library and Community Center was built and held its grand opening in March 1997 with the Mayor, Joel Derefield, and Library Director, Cecelia Hanson, cutting the ribbon.
Photo courtesy of Roy Historical Society.
Photo by Kathy Fisher.
 On March 21, 2007, the Roy City Library & Community Center was ten years old. To mark this special occasion, the Library had an Open House March 20 - 23 during normal library hours. There was also a gala birthday party on Wednesday, March 21, 6-8 pm. Birthday events were sponsored by The Friends of the Roy Library. For more information about the Friends group, click here to visit their website with pictures from the birthday party and other events sponsored by the Friends group.
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Copyright 2004-11, Roy City Library
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