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At that time, $10,000 was over six years’ wages for the average person, so Daniel Selover’s donation was an impressive investment in the community of his youth. Educating the community was clearly on his mind when he decided that Chesterville needed a library. He wrote that there was “nothing I could imagine to be more profitable and beneficial to the young people of the community than a library.” Unfortunately, Daniel passed away before Selover Library opened on January 20, 1926.  

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The first Selover Library Board of Trustees, formed in 1925,

was made up of

Clarence Stumph (President) 

Bert Buchanan (Vice President) 

B.M. Orr (Treasurer) 

Loy Levering (Secretary) 

Chester Township Superintendent Russel Martin 

Fred Addlesperger 

Sadie Wolfe 

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The plot of land on which the original section of the library was built was purchased from Earl Denman for $200, and the contract for the building was awarded to George Charles of Mount Gilead for $5000. The original part of the library sat facing West Sandusky Street (State Route 95), just behind the Shell Station. 

 

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The heavy oak furniture in the library was made by inmates of the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield for the original building.  

 

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The first librarian was Vida Barry (later Dana after her marriage). At the time of her hiring, the library was open Tuesday and Saturday from 12:00 to 5:00 and 7:00 to 9:30. She was paid $2.25 per day, or $.30 per hour. ​​​​​​​​​​

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Even without the presence of its founder Daniel Selover, the opening of the new library was a time to celebrate. As Selover Library Board Secretary Loy Levering recorded at the time: “Selover Public Library was opened with appropriate exercises at the town hall, consisting of music both vocal and instrumental, short talks, a book pageant by the school and a memorial and biography of Dan. Selover by Miss Kathryn Williams. After which the library was open to the public. On Jan 23 1926 the first books were permitted to go out.” 

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In 1983, the Shell Oil Station that stood at the corner of Portland and Sandusky Streets was torn down to give way to the new addition to the library. The addition was built by students from Tri-Rivers Joint Vocational School (now Tri-Rivers Career Center). On January 20, 1990, 64 years after the original building was dedicated, an open house was held for the dedication, with Pauline James as the guest speaker. Pauline had been involved with the library all her life. Her father, Bert Buchanan, was one of the original Trustees of the library.  

 

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In 1996, the library acquired the property to the west of the library. The library kept the property’s barn for storage and offered the house free to anyone who wanted to move it. There were no takers on the offer, so the house was torn down. The rear parking lot sits on this site today. 

 

In 2012, Selover Library became one of the founding members of the Consortium of Ohio Libraries (COOL), providing patrons access to a wider selection of materials.  

 

A new barn/annex by the back lot was opened in 2018. This building includes storage, a space for programs, and a covered patio. 

 

The library acquired an additional 3.4 acres of green space in 2024, including the lawn, stream, and woods to the west of the rear parking lot and barn.  

 

EARLY HISTORY OF SELOVER LIBRARY PROPERTY

This information is from the History of Chesterville, Ohio video, compiled by Joelyn Lanning. Used with permission. 

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The Leonard House and The Academy 

 

In the fall of 1830, Enos Miles built a hotel at the corner of West Sandusky and North Portland Streets. It went by several names depending on the proprietor at the time. It can be found listed as The American Hotel, The Leonard House, and on the 1857 map of Chesterville, as the Shoemaker Hotel. In 1885, the same year he became president, Grover Cleveland spent the night here. 

 

In 1838, Enos Miles built "The Academy," a 3-story brick building, just to the west of the hotel. As a teacher and advocate for education, Mr. Miles planned to use the structure as a finishing school for girls. The idea was a bit ahead of its time, and enrollment was not sufficient to keep it open. The building was remodeled and rented for businesses and residences. 

 

The Leonard House sat at the northwest corner of Sandusky and Portland Streets. The Academy sat just to the west, built "wall to wall” with the Leonard House. Fire destroyed both the Leonard House and the brick building on April 30, 1888. 

 

The Shell Station 

 

For many years after the hotel fire, the property at the northwest corner of Sandusky & Portland Streets sat empty. John L. Dodd bought the lot from John Leonard, a descendent of Ed Leonard, who owned the hotel when it was destroyed by fire. In May of 1904, The Morrow County Independent published that John Dodd was preparing to move a house from one of his other properties to this location. The Morrow County Sentinel reported that in February of 1905, he built a nine-room house on the lot to lease. In May of that year, Charlie Lemaster moved in. 

 

In February, 1923, Dodd leased his home and land to Lee Snyder, who erected a small Shell Station. In 1934, a larger, more modem station was built, and the little one moved to a farm on St. Rt. 95, just east of Twp. Rd. 178. 

 

Links: 

History of Chesterville, Ohio (YouTube video) 

Pat Ebersole’s History of Chesterville, Ohio 

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