Ben Wheeler Arts & Historic District Foundation & Half Price Books Opened Children's Library!

BEN WHEELER, TX– The Children’s Library of Ben Wheeler officially opened its schoolhouse doors on Saturday, Nov. 19, to a welcoming group of area children, parents and community members celebrating with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Children also visited with the Ben Wheeler Hog, the 2011 Ben Wheeler Hog Queen and the Half Price Book Worm.

Located at the Old Elwood School House downtown, the addition of the library is an effort sponsored by Ben Wheeler Arts & Historic District Foundation and Half Price Books. “It’s really great to see this old school get a second life as a place where children can come and read, and enjoy taking new books home with them absolutely free,” explained town leader, Brooks Gremmels, prior to the opening. “We’re all pretty excited about what this can mean to the children in our community.”

Children on hand for the opening were allowed to select up to two books to take and keep. Additionally, with every visit, a child may receive up to two books to keep and are encouraged to read and pass them on to their friends through books donated from the Half Price Books Half Pint Library Program.

In addition, a lending library will allow kids to check out favorite classics for up to two weeks.

The library will also sponsor story time for preschoolers, bimonthly after-school story time and book-related craft activities, puppet shows, a Read-to-Succeed book share and other programs.

The Half Pint Library program is a book drive hosted each year by Half Price Books to collect and distribute children’s books to those in need. Books donated through the Half Pint Library program provide an escape from the challenges faced by children, while helping to boost literacy skills outside of school. In many cases, children are getting their first book through the Half Pint Library program.

The program is now in its 12th year and has collected more than 2 million books for pediatric patients, community centers, special schools and many more children in need. From February 15 through March 31, all Half Price Books locations serve as “drop off” sites to collect new and used young children’s books. “We are excited to join with Ben Wheeler in their effort to share the love of reading with children in need of a good story and a smile”, said John Wilson, local resident and spokesperson for Half Price Books, who was also on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Organizing and coordinating the new library is Thelma Hunter who has set up other libraries for more than 30 years. Hunter has a proven record of helping kids discover books. She holds a Master of Library Science degree from Vanderbilt University and is working hard to make this library an experience children of all ages can treasure and a resource they can utilize.

She explained she also wants the library to be a valuable resource for older children as well, which is why various classic and resource books will be available for loan.

"The most important thing we want the children to know is that reading never dies." Mrs. Hunter said.

After the Thanksgiving holiday, library hours are Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information, visit benwheelertx.com or call 903.833.1070.

In a community with a thousand or so nearby residents, Ben Wheeler Development Company, LLC (BWDC) and Ben Wheeler Arts & Historic District Foundation (BWA & HDF) is planning additional music venues, multiple entertainment porches, more new restaurants, more new shops and various businesses. A fully restored downtown park complete with gazebos is also planned to be part of Ben Wheeler’s renewal. 

Ben Wheeler, named for the first man to carry mail into Van Zandt County, thrived during the late 1800s and early 1900s as families arrived in horse-drawn wagons, rode horses, or walked to visit, get mail, buy supplies, and sell or trade goods at one of the several general stores. The community included churches, barbers, blacksmiths, tailors, saddle and shoe shop, several gins and mills, a bank, the Berry Resort Hotel, boarding houses, a movie theater, lumber yard, a garage with gas pumps eventually, cafes, a school, and even a college at one time called the Alamo Institute. Ben Wheeler shrank after World War II as many people left for large cities to find work