Lake Elsinore Library

About Us:

In 1906, Mr. Charles Sumner Merrifield had a vision for a library in Lake Elsinore. A prominent member of the community, Mr. Merrifield bought a set of Charles Dickens books, which his daughter, Altha, soon began lending out from their hardware store on Main St. 

A library was opened on September 25, 1908, and has been in service ever since. Altha Merrifield was the first librarian in Lake Elsinore, and continued to work in that capacity until her retirement in 1968.