“Local officials are working on an exciting new project to turn Brownville into an official Booktown—antiquarian and second-hand bookstores. The Booktown concept began in Hay-on-Wye (“Secondhand Book Capital of the World”), a small town in Wales. Established in 1961, this town of 1,300 residents boasts more than 100 lodging accommodations and nearly 40 bookstores. Each May, thousands of tourists from all over the world flock to Hay-on-Wye for the Hay Festival of Literature. Brownville officials would like to capitalize on this type of tourist pastime and become the third official Booktown in the U.S. The other two are in Stillwater, Minn., and Archer City, Tex.
In 2002, Brownville received a Tourism Development Initiative grant for infrastructure development from the Nebraska Travel and Tourism Division as part of the renovation of an existing building into the Brownville Lyceum. The two-floor building will have books available for purchase, reading and study areas, literary presentations, a small apartment for visiting speakers, and a small cafe. Once finished, the Lyceum could be a catalyst for future year-round economic growth and development through books and related businesses, such as bed and breakfasts, guesthouses, antique and collectible shops, small restaurants and cafes, and art galleries.”

  “On December 19, 1856, the first meeting of what was known as the Brownville Lyceum was held, a partial organization effected, and on the 26th of the same month it was affirmed by R. Brown and H. S. Brown that the repeal of the  Missouri Compromise was right, the same being denied by G. W. Bratton and A. S.  Holladay. On January 9, 1857, the question was debated as to whether the "Indian  has a greater right to complain of the whites than the negro," H. S. Thorpe assuming the affirmative, and R. B. Stout, the negative. On January 23, the resolution that all kinds of stock should be restrained from running at large,  was defended by J. W. Wells, and denied by Hugh Baker. On January 30, D. L.  McGary took issue with G. W. Bratton as to whether the Christian religion, as received and practiced, has been an injury to the human family. How these  momentous subjects were decided is unknown. On February 9, 1857, a special act of the Legislature was approved, incorporating the "Brownville Lyceum, Library  and Literary Association," constituting R. Brown, A. S. Holladay, H. S. Thorpe, G. W. Bratton, C. S. Langdon, D. L. McGary, Charles Dorsey, A. J. Benedict, J. M. Wood, J. L. Dozier, I. T. Whyte, J. Noel, H. W. Lake and R. W. Furnas, their  associates and successors, a body corporate and politic, under the name and style as given, the object of the incorporation to be the establishment and  promotion of a Lyceum, Library and Reading Room in Brownville.

At a meeting of the Trustees, held at the office of D. L. McGary, September  11, 1858, an organization was effected with A. S. Holladay, President, and H. S. Thorp, Secretary, and shortly afterward a reading room was opened; subsequently closed for lack of support in November of the same year.

During the winter of 1859-60, a series of lectures was given, under the  auspices of the association. Eight lectures were delivered, as follows: T. W.  Tipton, Demosthenes and Webster; T. W. Tipton, Humbug; Dr. A. S. Holladay, Sources of Disease; Dr. Arnold, Immortality of the Soul; Judge O. B. Hewett, Manifest Destiny of the United States; W. C. Johnson, The Historian, The Statesman, and the Divine; R. W. Furnas, The Manifest Greatness of our Country; E. W. Thomas, The Influence of the Institutions of the Middle Ages on the  Present State of Society.

A re-organization was effected in February, 1860, with R. W. Furnas, President; T.L. Carson, Vice President; E. W. Thomas, Secretary; Luther Hoadley,  Treasurer and Librarian; and the reading room was re-opened to the public. On  October 27, 1860, a committee was appointed to secure lecturers, and through its  efforts, addresses were delivered during the fall and winter by Dr. Arnold, Dr. Holladay, August Schoenheit, E. W. Thomas and Rev. A. S. Billingsley.

At the second annual meeting under the re-organization, held in February,  1861, J. M. McPherson superseded J. L. Carson as Vice President, no other  changes being made. November 17, 1864, a fire occurred in Exchange Bank  building, which contained the library, slightly damaging the books, and in the following months, additions were made to the library to the amount of $400. A  course of lectures were delivered in 1864-65, the first one being by O. B. Hewett, on Education. Others were by Rev. J. T. Baird and Bayard Taylor, Russia  and the Russians. Shortly after this, the association practically suspended  operations. The Brownville Library Association, was organized in 1879, with  officers as follows: President, John L. Carson; Vice President, Mrs. Julia McGee; Secretary, G. D. Cross; Treasurer, Oscar Cecil; Board of Directors, J. J.  Mercer, J. W. Broady, T. L. Schick, Mrs. J. S. Minick, Mrs. A. E. Hill and A. H.  Davidson. Of these, T. L. Schick is deceased. The vacancy has not been filled and no change has been made in the list of officers. The first Librarian was Mrs. Thurman, the second, Clara Mercer, and the Librarian in April, 1882, Mrs. A. E. Hill. The library contains about one thousand well-selected volumes, and occupies the rooms over the old bank building, on Main street, between First and  Second. It is now in a highly prosperous condition.