Free Library of Northampton Township sits on land which was once a part of a larger region known as Lenapehoking, an area inhabited by the Lenape. It began to be settled by Europeans in the 17th century; William Penn agreed to a treaty with Chief Tamanend of the Lenape and was granted a land charter from English King Charles II for what would become known as Pennsylvania. The land was used as farmland up until the 1980s.
Residents, tired of traveling to other area libraries or waiting for the weekly Bucks County Bookmobile, began discussing the establishment of a community library in 1966. However, it took a few years to get the idea off the ground. With the closing of the Army Nike Missile Base on Richboro-Newtown Road in 1960, an opportunity for the community arose.
The Northampton Township Women’s Club, with the support of the community, initiated the project in 1968, and Free Library of Northampton Township was established in 1970. The library officially opened its doors on Saturday, October 3, 1970 in the former barracks of the missile base with 3,000 books in its collection. Community groups and residents donated many of the supplies, books, and labor.
The library shared the former missile site with the Parks and Recreation Department for several years.
As Northampton Township began acquiring farmland in the 1970s, a decision was made to construct a building to house both the library and a new senior center. 1985 saw the opening of the new shared building at 25 Upper Holland Road. These two organizations shared the space until 2004 when the new James E. Kinney Senior Center was dedicated, located across the street. That same year, expansion of the library building began and it was completed in 2006. Space dedicated to the library grew from 10,000 square feet in the original shared building to more than 37,000 square feet in the newly renovated building. In September 2021, the library celebrated its 50+1 birthday, delayed by 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic. The library remains an increasingly vital community resource for township residents and beyond.
2022 saw the library’s first Mission and Vision statements followed shortly after by its first Strategic Plan in September 2023. In late 2024, the library began working with a branding firm to create a new logo and branding tools to be used when communicating with the community. As we look forward to the next few decades of serving our community, July 2025 saw the completion of a Visioning Study with architects to examine the possibility of a full-building renovation while also creating designed spaces for outdoor use as well.
On September 11, 2025, the new library branding and logo, as well as a newly designed website, was launched highlighting the services and programming available to township residents.
