Mary Hooker was the founder of the first library in Dillon.  She moved to the Dillon area in the 1880’s and is the great niece of Harriet Beecher Stowe (author of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”).  She was a member of the Shakespeare Club, the 2nd oldest continuing book club formed in the state of Montana, and used her own books and house as a library.  In 1901 Andrew Carnegie gave the City of Dillon $7,100 to build a library.  The building is made of stone that was mined northwest of Dillon by the Lewis and Clark Lookout up Frying Pan Road by a woman miner named Katie Fitzsimmons. The original design included a turret room, which Mr. Carnegie refused to pay for.  Mary Hooker was set on having a turret room and covered the extra expenses.  The building was completed in 1902 with a final cost of $8,600.

There are four gargoyles on the building. The pictured gargoyle is named Afternoon Happy. He can be found on the front south side corner of the building.  Grumpy Morning can be found on the front east corner.  The two back gargoyles are not named (lack of funding).