Hearst Free Library and Reading Room was presented to the City of Lead and it's citizens by T.J. Grier on behalf of Phoebe Apperson Hearst on Christmas Day, 1894. Over 1000 people from the city of Lead attended this gala affair, which included musical entertainment.The library's original collection had many foreign language books to accommodate the many ethnic groups, which made up the population of Lead. Some of these books still exist in the George Hearst Research Room.