VIRGINIA CITY — For most Montanans, Virginia City is a summer destination. However, hundreds of people call it home year-round.
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As with most small towns, the library is the center of this community and has been since it was built back in 1918. William Boyce Thompson built the building that now bears his name, the Thompson Hickman Madison County Library.
According to library director Christina Koch, when Thompson left the library and the land to Madison County, he stipulated it had to remain as an open public library if it didn’t the property and land would instantly revert to his heirs.
The original building is beautiful but small for a library, so in 2015 an addition was constructed using stone from the original quarry. Thompson’s heirs even donated funds to help complete the addition.
While the Thompson Hickman Madison County Library may seem small, it features everything you would find in a bigger city library. Koch says the library offers computer access, technology for computer-driven meetings, and WIFI hotspots for loan.
A big challenge at the library is access. Virginia City sits on the side of a hill. Koch notes you must climb a series of stairs from the main highway or descend a stairway from Idaho Street above to get to the library.
Koch says a three-phase effort kicked off this week to tackle the access issue.
Phase One has crews building a parking lot and playground at the library level of the building. The library is a two-story building with a museum on the main floor, so Phase Two will be a ramp with historical plaques allowing access to the museum from the main highway. Phase Three will add an elevator, providing access to both the museum and the library.
The Thompson Hickman Madison County Library is open year-round. The museum is open from Memorial Day to mid-September.
