Loris Library Celebrates 50 Years at Main Street Home While Honoring a Legacy That Began Decades Earlier

While the library opened at its present home in 1976, library service in Loris dates back to 1939.

“There has been a library in Loris since 1939, but this building was specifically built and dedicated to house the library,” said Loris Library Branch Manager Jeni Huber.

The community’s first public library was established through the efforts of the American Legion Auxiliary and was housed in the Masonic Hall on Main Street. Funding from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) supported the library during its first two and a half years.

Over the following decades, the library relocated several times as community leaders and residents worked toward securing a permanent home. Their efforts came to fruition on Oct. 2, 1976, when the new library building at 4316 Main Street officially opened to the public.

“This building is the result of citizens who wanted the library to have a building of its own,” Huber said.

Today, the library offers far more than shelves of books. As technology and community needs have changed, so have the services available to patrons.

“The library has evolved from just a repository of books to providing DVDs, computers for public use, State Park passes, Wi-Fi hotspots, and technology that wasn’t even thought of 50 years ago,” Huber said. “If you want to bake a cake for a special occasion and don’t want to spend the money on a specialty pan, you can borrow one from the library.”

Despite the changes in services, one thing has remained constant: community support. Organizations such as the Friends of the Loris Library and the Loris Garden Club continue to play a vital role in supporting programs, projects, and outreach efforts.

As the library enters its next chapter, visitors are already seeing signs of the future. A new mural is being installed in the entrance area, designed to celebrate both the library and the community it serves.

“When they come in the front, I want them to go, ‘Oh, wow, this is a cool place. This is fun,'” Huber said. “It represents everything that the library is and ties in a sense of community. It incorporates the railroad that’s important to Loris and brings a sense of whimsy and imagination.”

The mural is being funded through donations from the Lewis E. Sikes Foundation and the Eldred Prince Foundation, continuing a tradition of local investment in the library’s future.

“We’re here because the community shares our belief that libraries are important,” Huber said.

The mural is expected to be completed within the coming days and will welcome visitors as the library begins its next 50 years of service. The Loris Library, located at 4316 Main Street, is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

A Library Built by Community Support

The Loris Library’s history is one of persistence, growth, and community involvement.

In 1949, the Loris Parent Teachers Association sponsored a library room inside the local high school. Three years later, in 1952, the Loris Garden Club secured space on the second floor of the newly constructed Town Hall, formally opening the branch there on Nov. 17.

As the collection and demand for services grew, the library moved again in October 1965 to an office building at 4131 Main Street.

Momentum for a permanent facility gained traction in 1968 when legislation was introduced to secure funding for a dedicated library building. In January 1969, a committee finalized the purchase of property at 4316 Main Street from Elaine Hughes and Mrs. D.C. Prince. Although the land was secured years earlier, construction funding was not available until 1976.

The new $70,000 library opened on Oct. 2, 1976, with approximately 1,600 square feet of space.

Growth continued over the following decades. In 1994, Charles Freeman and the Felburn Foundation offered a $60,000 matching grant to support an expansion project. Horry County matched those funds, allowing the facility to grow to approximately 4,300 square feet by the spring of 1995.

Another major expansion followed in November 2007 with the addition of a 1,500-square-foot children’s wing. The project, which cost more than $285,000, was funded through a community fundraising campaign led by the Friends of the Loris Library, along with support from the Felburn Foundation, Kelly Anne Cox Foundation, Waccamaw Community Foundation, Lewis E. Sikes Foundation, local businesses, and community leaders.

Fifty years after opening its doors on Main Street, the Loris Library remains a testament to what can be accomplished when a community invests in education, literacy, and lifelong learning.

For more information about the history of the Horry County Memorial Library system