PRESS RELEASE - July 12, 2025
Contact: Aurora Martinez, Director
440-352-3383, ext. 1332 | aurora.martinez@morleylibrary.org
MORLEY LIBRARY RECEIVES GIFTS FROM MORLEY DESCENDANTS RECOGNIZING 125TH ANNIVERSARY.
Morley Library has received a $125,000 gift from family relatives of Morley Library founder, Jesse Healy Morley, some from donor-advised funds at the Cleveland Foundation, in support of planned interior renovations for the Library.
Planning has been underway since 2024 and improvements will include the replacement of flooring & carpet, paint, new furniture, and redesign to enhance patron experience and maximize usage of the current Library building. The gift was proposed and coordinated by Morley relatives following events hosted at the Library last year celebrating its 125th anniversary and dedication in1899. The Painesville Telegraph covered the dedication in this article on October 18, 1899.
"Our family felt it was important to collectively recognize the Morley Library's contributions to Painesville during the 125th Anniversary," said Thomas M. Morley. "This gift is made in loving memory of our parents, John and Sally, and oldest brother, John, Jr. It is humbling to be one of several subsequent generations to support a library originally dedicated to our great-great-great-grandparents."
Kenneth Keener, Morley Library Board President, stated, "We greatly appreciate this recognition of Morley Library, its vital legacy as a pillar of the community, and this unique support to our present and future, from family related to the founder, Jesse Morley. The Library Staff and Board are grateful for this support as we begin the renovation phase of the project. We excitedly anticipate our patrons being able to enjoy their refreshed and enhanced Library."
About Morley Library
In 1878, the Women's Christian Temperance Union in Painesville established a temperance library and reading room. After Librarian Mary Dean's death in 1898, friends set about fulfilling her dream of a free public library. Other groups donated more books, the Village of Painesville agreed to provide tax funds, and businessman Jesse Healy Morley bought the land and erected the building, which was named in honor of his parents, Albert and Esther Healy Morley. Additions to the original building were made in 1937 and 1978. In 2001, the library passed a bond issue for the construction of a brand-new facility. A groundbreaking ceremony on May 14, 2003 marked the official start to construction of a three-story library designed by Meehan Architects of Cleveland, OH. The original building closed to the public on October 17, 2004 and the new building opened to the public on November 7, 2004. Visit Morley Library online at MorleyLibrary.org.
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