The original Ester Library / Photo by Frank Therrell circa 2000.
The original Ester library was founded in 1999 as a reading room by Frank Therrell and expanded into a check-out library by Deirdre Helfferich. It was informally known as Frank’s Place and was in a 1st floor rented room in downtown Ester at 3618 Main Street.
The library changed its name to honor John Trigg in 2000, after his untimely death. John was an avid storyteller and reader who started a book exchange in the Golden Eagle.
In 2004 the library joined the Ester Community Association. By this time, it was clear that the library was outgrowing its quarters. At the fall ECA meeting, the membership voted to find and purchase land for a new library building, and fundraising commenced.
The first annual Lallapalooza & Book Bash was held in spring 2005, followed by the LiBerry Music Festival in 2006, and the third annual fundraiser, Readers on the Run, in 2008. In 2013 the Lallapalooza was dropped and the Tape & Tarp Breakup Ball instituted. Readers on the Run was discontinued for insurance reasons in 2016, and in 2018, the Tape and Tarp Ball was changed to SuperHeroes Night Out.
Land on Village Road was purchased in spring 2006 from Rick Winther (Malemute, Inc.), and a few months later another parcel on Village Road was leased from Larry Flodin and his brothers. A series of public design meetings began that year, with members of the community working with architects and builders to come up with an affordable design suitable to the community and its anticipated needs over the next 20 years. Construction on the Ida Laine Clausen Gazebo was begun in 2007 (dedicated in 2010 and re-dedicated with a plaque honoring Ida in 2018). In fall 2008 the JTEL and the ECA decided to separate so that the library could focus on its mission and work toward obtaining federal nonprofit charitable organization 501(c)(3) status, which it obtained in 2011.
The library obtained a $50,000 Designated Legislative Appropriation grant and another grant for $80,000 for library design and construction, and that same year a topographic survey was performed, free of charge, by Jeff Martt and Hans Mölders (saving the library an estimated $10,000). The library also was awarded a matching grant from the Fairbanks North Star Borough for $35,000 for library construction. Groundbreaking for the new library building began in 2015 at 488 Village Road, and formal construction began with Phase One, the thermal storage tank, in the 2016 building season.
In 2013, the library received a large private donation: the Clausen Cabin at 3629 Main Street, built by Ansgar Clausen in 1974. In 2016, massive reconstruction ensued, starting with insulation, new flooring, moving walls in order to create an office, space for an ADA bathroom and a smaller kitchen area, and finally shelves for books! By 2017, the Clausen Cabin had officially opened as the main building of the JTEL campus, and is currently being used for books, meetings and clubs. Additionally, the offices of JTEL are in the Cabin, and the monthly board meetings and annual membership meetings are held there.
In 2019, Frank Therrell sold the original library property – (Frank’s Place), thus the Clausen Cabin became the only library building within Ester.
