local history
JANE YOUNG ROOM
The Jane Young Room, originally the Art Room, houses a collection of rare and valuable art pieces including “The Venus of Milo” and “The Minerva of the Vatican” which were obtained and imported from Italy in 1912 especially for the library. The shelves are filled with the work of local authors. The Jane Young Room holds the works of MacKinley Kantor including the manuscript of Happy Land and the works of Clark Mollenhoff including the galley proofs of Despoilers of Democracy.
The Jane Young Room and it’s collections may be viewed upon request. Please ask the reference librarian for access.
Genealogy Room
Located at the East end of the Adult Department, the Genealogy Room houses a collection of published materials dating back to the 19th century focusing on the history of Hamilton County. Materials about Webster and other surrounding counties are also selectively collected. Our Genealogy Room also houses many different genealogy resources and books available to browse.
Unique Genealogy Room holdings include:
- Hamilton County Directories
- Webster County Directories
- Phonebooks
- Hamilton County Cookbooks
- Webster City Schools
- Iowa Central Community College
- South Hamilton
- Kamrar
*More yearbooks can be found in the Jane Young Room (open upon request)
- Hamilton County Plat Maps
- Webster County Plat Maps
- 1896 Atlas of Hamilton County
- 1918 Atlas of Hamilton County
- History of Hamilton County Iowa
- Lee’s 1912 History of Hamilton County
- Biographical Record and Portrait Album
- Webster City Tribune
- Freeman Journal
- State Census Records
- Hamilton County Citizen Cards
- WWI Service Records (Hamilton County citizens)
- WWII Service Records (Hamilton County citizens)
- Webster City Clippings
Kendall Young Library Photo Archive
We are in the process of digitizing and adding our collection of Citizen Cards and other miscellaneous collections. This is an ongoing project, so check back often!
Hamilton County Digital Archives
The Digital Archives of the Hamilton County is an ongoing project of the Kendall Young Library. Currently, the following newspapers are available online:
Webster City Tribune 1886-1916
Jewell Record 1886-1922
Williams Wasp 1898-1910
