Neighbors of Forest Glen Park in Central Point say reports of a fire in the bed of a pickup truck last Saturday night mark the latest in a series of concerning incidents at a Little Free Library there.

Vandalism against the tiny library along Gate Park Drive began mid-June when neighbors reported on social media that the doors had been torn off the popular book-swap location.

Tagged in some posts, Central Point resident Tim Short stepped up to offer his services.

A woodworker, Short said he sympathized with the work that went into constructing the library, modeled after the landmark Central Point grain elevator, and made the repairs.

Unsure of how the doors looked when the structure was built, Short crafted some shiny new red doors and figured his work was done.

“I knew if it had been me, and I’d put the work into building it to begin with, I would appreciate somebody helping out,” Short said.

Weeks after the new set of doors had been installed, neighbors discovered the doors torn off yet again: one was dangling from its hinges, the other was nowhere to be found.

Resolved to see the tiny library intact, Short replaced the doors again using longer screws and thicker wood for added durability. At the same time, he perused online options for affordable trail cams and suggested a donation be taken up for a camera to be installed nearby.

In addition to the new doors, signs were posted advising would-be vandals that the location was now under video surveillance.

“The second time, I figured, ‘I have more wood than these guys have brains.’ But then I thought, ‘What about adding some cameras?’” Short said.

With the latest repairs made and cameras pointed at the park, only two days would go by before a grainy video showed the situation had evolved from broken doors to fires being started during the peak of fire season near a neighborhood park.

Neighbors reported a fire in the bed of the pickup truck just after 9 p.m. last Saturday. In the surveillance video obtained by the Rogue Valley Times, a group of young adults are seen in bed with a small fire starting.

At one point, the fire erupts, with smoke and flames suddenly towering above the cab as the occupants quickly jump out.

Neighbors said a second vehicle — a white sedan — waited nearby at one point. In an audio recording of the 911 call, the caller, who told dispatch she didn’t want to identify herself, reports four teenage boys burning books from the nearby “book box” and talking about adding more books to the flames.

Short said the fire angered neighbors more than the damaged doors.

“People were pretty upset about the doors being ripped off, but they lost their minds when the books were burned,” Short said.

“The whole tone of everything before was, ‘Well they’re just kind of kids and out being stupid.’ And then when the video was put (up) of the books being burned, the whole tone changed, and people were really pissed off.”

Built by Central Point resident Myron Hauser in April 2023, the box offers neighbors a place to give and get gently used books. Hauser began building them a decade ago as a fun project with his now-18-year-old granddaughter.

Little Free Libraries are a global movement, with more than 190,000 library locations worldwide, that began in Wisconsin in 2009.

At the park with Short on Monday afternoon, Hauser said the recent acts of vandalism were the first he’d witnessed in his decade of building more than a dozen Little Free Library locations.

Central Point police told the Times they were notified of a fire in the bed of a pickup truck. Police later interviewed the boys and found that “no other property was damaged and was the result of teenagers accidentally igniting some gasoline in the bed of the pickup truck.”

Police Chief Scott Logue said police found no evidence that books were burned in the incident and that he checked on the condition of the Little Free Library Monday to ensure it was undamaged.

Short said neighbors had identified drivers and some passengers from both cars and hoped the teens would see some consequences, or that social media attention would discourage further acts. Short said an unintended “silver lining” to the damaged doors and weekend fire was that the community came together and were being more vigilant.

“I live across the freeway. This isn’t even my neighborhood, but I live in the community and I love how everybody wanted to help,” Short said.

Pull Quote

“The whole thing is stupid. Two sets of doors destroyed. Third set installed. I’ve been doing woodworking for decades, and if it’s wood and they want to destroy it, it’s only wood. There’s only so much you can do. But to see how everybody came together to help. That was the cool part that came from something crappy.”

— Central Point woodworker Tim Short

“The whole thing is stupid. Two sets of doors destroyed. Third set installed. I’ve been doing woodworking for decades, and if it’s wood and they want to destroy it, it’s only wood. There’s only so much you can do. But to see how everybody came together to help. That was the cool part that came from something crappy.”

Hauser said he’ll focus on the positive, too.

“The first one I built is in the park close to my home. I’ll drive by and see a little kid looking for a book, and then maybe their playmate over on the swing, reading,” Hauser said, resting his hand over his heart.

“There’s an old couple, too. They both use walkers, and they both have a little bag in front … They come over and put books in and they take different ones home.”

Showing photos to Short on Monday of past projects and new libraries he’s working to build, Hauser said he enjoys knowing he’s providing a space for community members to share a love of reading.

“Seeing people use the little libraries, it makes it all worthwhile. … I just love it.”

“The whole thing is stupid. Two sets of doors destroyed. Third set installed. I’ve been doing woodworking for decades, and if it’s wood and they want to destroy it, it’s only wood. There’s only so much you can do. But to see how everybody came together to help. That was the cool part that came from something crappy.” — Central Point woodworker Tim Short {related_content_uuid}e260b6ec-00ea-4136-9154-be0410df2e10{/related_content_uuid}