The Essex Library Association was born in 1889, when Dr. W.A. Russell donated 50 books from his personal library to a group of Essex residents who wanted to start a circulating library for themselves and their friends. Dr. Russell offered the room over his office (the site of the present day Talbott's) to house the collection, which by 1890 numbered 1186 volumes. Mr. C.S. Munger was named the first librarian of record. With the constant growth of the collection, the hunt for a larger building began in 1894 and that same year, the Association purchased land on South Main Street for $250.

In 1924, the library was open to the general public for the first time. This same year, "Gramma" Lord was hired as head librarian, a post she held for thirty years. When she retired in 1954, the town of Essex had lost a legendary fixture. In 1955, Mrs. Frederick Williams was hired and promptly created children's literature and reference sections and regularly scheduled story hours were inaugurated. By 1967, the collection had outgrown its quarters on South Main St. and since no adjacent land was available, the search began for an appropriate site for a new library building. In 1976, the Hyatt property on the corner of West Avenue and Grove Street was purchased and a fund raising committee went into full swing to raise the costs of construction.

By 1987, circulation had doubled and the need for future expansion was already being discussed. In 1999, current Director Bridget Quinn-Carey was hired and immediately embarked on a mission to bring the library into the Computer Age. In 2001, the library catalog was automated and patrons were issued new barcoded library cards. Computers were also made available for patron use and the library established a presence on the Internet.