Founded in 1962 as an independent municipal library for the City of Cape May, the Library is currently a branch of the Cape May County Library System. Miss Emma Elwell and a group of like-minded volunteers opened the first library in the basement of City Hall. As the Library prospered, so did Miss Elwell, who was named City Librarian and hired as a part-timer (while still volunteering at the Library on the side.) The Library continued to grow and eventually moved from the basement of City Hall to a then-new location on the corner of Ocean and Hughes Streets in May of 1982. This "new" library building was previously a Bell Telephone switching station.
Miss Elwell held the title of City Librarian until her retirement in September 1986. She continued to serve on the Board of Commissioners of the Cape May County Library System. The Cape May Public Library's location on Ocean Street was dedicated to Emma Elwell for her leadership in establishing the Library and her many years of dedicated service.
The Cape May City Library is now located in the historic Franklin Street School within the Cape May National Historic Landmark District. The school opened to Black students in 1928 as the City's only segregated elementary school. To learn more about the school's history and Cape May's African American heritage, please see the links below:
This project was supported by funds from the New Jersey Library Construction Bond Act, administered by the New Jersey State Library.
