Xerxes S. Check and his wife, Ada Weed, moved to Sulphur Springs, Benton County, Arkansas with their son William G., in the 1890s from Minnesota. The couple would later have a daughter Ada E., a son Jay V. and would adopt another boy and girl. When they moved to Arkansas, the Checks carried with them a small collection of books, which their neighbors soon borrowed. Once settled, Xerxes Check began farming while Ada Check began a reading circle which met at their home in the evenings weekly to read and discuss books owned by the Checks. Realizing that her small collection of books was limited, Ada Check began knitting coverlets and garments from the wool their sheep produced to buy more books. Over the years the Check’s book collection grew to the extent that they decided to build a community library to house all the books.

Check’s Corner Library had no librarian on staff, and no rules, but a cozy room with comfortable chairs and kerosene lamps. To borrow a book, a patron would write his or her name and the title of the book in a ledger. Check’s Corner Library served three states, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri, and contained more than 3,000 books.