"We are getting SO close, and we can almost smell the new pages!" That was Lincoln County's update on the East Lincoln Library project on September 11. At that point the furniture was arriving and crews were still finishing the grading outside. The county then set the ribbon cutting for the East Lincoln Branch Library for Friday, October 23, with a Family Day planned for the next morning from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
You can see the library from the road. Most of the project sits around it. The building stands on a 55-acre county parcel along NC Highway 73, and the county plans to spend part of the same state funding on walking trails and outdoor learning stations across that land. For anyone living in Iron Station, the October opening is the start of a longer project on that stretch of NC 73.
What the County Built on NC 73
The county lists the address as 5124 NC 73 Hwy, Iron Station, NC 28080. If your map app gets confused, it may be because the Lincoln County Public Library facilities page shows the same street number with a Lincolnton 28092 address. The county's version, Iron Station 28080, matches the opening announcement and the event calendar.
Inside, you'll find what the county showed off before opening day. Its September update listed lounge chairs, tables and study carrels, plus Adirondack rockers set out on what the county calls the Reading porch. That porch could make this a branch you stay at for a while, beyond picking up holds.
The Lincoln Times-News reported the weekly schedule the branch is set to keep once it opens to the public:
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday | 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. |
| Tuesday | 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. |
| Wednesday | 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. |
| Thursday | 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. |
| Friday | 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. |
| Saturday | 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
The schedule has no Sunday hours. The two late nights fall on Tuesday and Thursday, when the doors stay open until 8 p.m. If you commute and can't get there before 6 on other weekdays, those are your evenings. Saturday's six hours are the shortest open day of the week.
Half an Acre of Building on 55 Acres of Land
The building's size makes more sense next to the land. The Times-News describes the library as a 22,000-square-foot facility. An acre is 43,560 square feet, so all of the library's floor space adds up to about half an acre. The parcel under it is 55 acres. Even counting parking and landscaping, most of the site is still open for whatever comes next.
The money explains why the county bought this much land. In fall 2023 the North Carolina General Assembly set aside $18 million for Lincoln County library improvements. County commissioners used about $1.2 million of it to buy the NC 73 parcel from the Sigmon Family Trust. The Times-News put the price at $23,000 per acre. That works out to about 7 percent of the state allocation for the whole site. The same report says the county plans to spend some of the state money on park amenities around the library, eventually including walking trails and outdoor learning stations.
"Eventually" is the key word there. No completion date has been announced for the trails or learning stations. Earlier planning went further. In July 2024, Lake Norman Publications reported discussion of nature trails and a possible amphitheater on the property, which it placed west of East Lincoln Fire Station No. 3. Those were ideas from 2024, and the county hasn't confirmed them for the site.
A Second Branch for the East Side
The new building gives the east end of the county more library capacity. The Times-News reports that it is meant to "relieve pressure on the nearby Florence Shanklin Branch Library in Denver." For Iron Station, that means a branch on your own side of NC 73.
The name changed along the way. During construction the project was briefly called the Saine Family Library, and county commissioners then voted unanimously to rename it the East Lincoln Branch Library. You may still see the old name in 2024 coverage. In September 2024, Lake Norman Publications reported that the county was working with McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture on the design.
That earlier coverage also gives a rough guide to the inside. Lake Norman Publications described a draft design in July 2024 that called for:
- Two meeting rooms that could open into one larger space
- Children's program areas
- A teen area
- Group study rooms and a quiet reading room
- Computers and general seating
- A creative studio
- Covered porch areas, with room to expand
That list came from a draft, and drafts change. The county has confirmed the Reading porch, the carrels and the lounge seating. On your first visit, ask staff about the rest. Meeting rooms and a creative studio would make this branch a place to hold a club meeting or a homeschool co-op session, which the old drive to Denver didn't offer.
Trails Already Exist Nearby
The trail plans for the library land fit a pattern already started on the east side of the county. Rock Springs Nature Preserve, at 6684 Pine Ridge Drive in Denver, has a one-mile segment listed on the Carolina Thread Trail map. It is meant to connect someday with the Forney Creek Trail, about two miles south.
Nothing ties the library parcel to that network. Still, it helps to know what's already there. If you want a walk on a fall weekend while the library grounds are still mostly open land, Rock Springs is the closest existing trail on this list. When the county builds the walking trails it has planned around the library, Iron Station will have its own walk along NC 73, with the reading porch next to it.
What to Watch Through the Winter
Two pages will show what happens next. The county posts library project news on its Library System Expansion page, and its September update pointed readers there and to the county's social media for news. Programs show up on the Lincoln County Public Library website. Storytimes there already run on a weekly rhythm. In November, West Lincoln holds Toddler Storytime at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Baby Storytime at 11 a.m. on Wednesdays, and Charles R. Jonas holds Toddler Storytime at 10:30 a.m. on Thursdays. Watch for the East Lincoln branch to post a regular schedule of its own on the same calendar.
The land is the other thing to watch. Any announcement about the walking trails and outdoor learning stations will show how quickly the other 54-plus acres become a place to visit. In the meantime, the reported schedule keeps the doors open until 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
I love seeing a new community space open this close to home. Whether you've lived in eastern Lincoln County for years or just want to know what's changing around Iron Station, I'm always glad to talk about it. Let's Connect with Tiffany Ramirez, and I'll share what I'm watching along NC 73 this winter.
