Maryland ? The nation’s first bookmobile celebrated its 100th anniversary at a party Monday, marking an evolution from a humble buggy with a few hundred books to full-sized buses offering thousands of books and other services.

A century ago, librarian Mary Titcomb decided to put shelves on a horse-drawn buggy and send it to rural residents. It took the driver three days to make the 50-mile trip in Washington County, Md.

“They got to each place once or twice a year and that was it,” said Jill Craig, one of the current librarians in Washington County. “You sort of got your year’s worth of books and returned them later in the year.”

The bookmobile lasted only five years — it was hit by a train in 1910. The driver and horses survived, and the wagon was replaced two years later by a motorized buggy, library officials said.

Titcomb, then-library director for Washington County, boasted at the time: “No better method has ever been devised for reaching the dweller in the country. The book goes to the man, not waiting for the man to come to the book.”

Today, there are more than 800 bookmobiles in operation nationwide offering books, magazines and even Internet access.