Many of the original books held by the Washington Public Library came from the private collection of General Hiram Scofield, a civil war general from who lived in Washington and held one of the largest private libraries in the nation. Hiram Scofield was the eldest of 5 children, born and raised in Saratoga County, New York. He and his brothers relocated to Washington County in 1858, where he practiced law in partnership with Antis H. Patterson until 1861. During the Civil War, he served as a member of Company H, Second Iowa Volunteer Infantry, the first regiment to leave Iowa in service. He rose through the ranks, becoming a Brigadier General before completing his service in 1866. Upon returning to Iowa, he continued practicing law with his brother, William. He also served the community and was involved with many local organizations, including membership as a trustee of Washington’s Chilcote Library. Hiram’s brother, Dr. Darius Scofield was a driving force behind the establishment of a library in Washington, and also contributed volumes from his personal collection to the library. William Scofield and his wife donated books to the collection as well.

Scofield was an avid reader and his personal collection was estimated to contain 18,000 - 20,000 books. When he passed in 1906, his collection was reported to be the largest private library in the state of Iowa (possibly the largest collection west of the Mississippi River), and a portion of this collection was donated to the Washington Public Library. The Wellman-Scofield Library also received a portion of the collection, as did the Vassar and Wellesley College libraries. Aproximately 200 of the books that remain from that collection are now displayed on the second level of the library in shelving funded through the City of Washington’s municipal grant from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation. These books are noncirculating, but will be available for viewing upon request.