If you read this column on a regular basis, you saw a lot written last year about William Woodruff as we neared the 200th anniversary of the newspaper he founded, the Arkansas Gazette. In addition to being a publisher and printer (Woodruff moved his newspaper from Arkansas Post to Little Rock in 1821), he could be considered one of this state's first librarians. That's because he had a circulating library in the 1840s. Even earlier, the Little Rock Debating Society had operated a similar library.
In Saturday's column, I outlined the expansion efforts at the Fayetteville Public Library and the various programs of the Central Arkansas Library System. Those programs go far beyond books. In researching that column, it became evident that in what long was considered an uneducated state where reading was never a priority, there were sustained efforts to create quality libraries. It was often women who led the way.
In my hometown of Arkadelphia, the Woman's Library Association was formed in November 1897 with the goal of establishing a public library in a town that already was the home of two colleges. Members began collecting books and decided to build a stately downtown facility to house those books.
"A number of fundraising events were held, and the group had collected $1,000 by 1903," writes David Sesser of Henderson State University. "The Woman's Library Association borrowed an additional $3,000 so construction could begin on the building. After the library opened, the group continued to raise funds to retire the debt, meeting this goal in 1913. The building was designed by Little Rock architect Charles Thompson."
The Woman's Library Association continued to operate the facility until 1939, when it was donated to the city of Arkadelphia. The county took over the library in 1974, the year the building was put on the National Register of Historic Places. Almost 46 years after receiving that designation, the building is still being used as a library.
"After the Civil War, the Mercantile Library opened in Little Rock and was available to professional men," Sesser writes. "After a merger with the Marquand Library, created for use by employees of the St. Louis & Iron Mountain Railroad, the library was acquired by the Young Men's Christian Association. It eventually ceased operations. The Woman's Cooperative Association opened a library in the Arsenal building (which later became the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History) in 1897, and members of the association could use the library, as could nonmembers who paid a fee."
The Arkansas Legislature approved bills in 1901 and 1903 to allow some cities to operate libraries that had been created with private funds. The bills allowed property taxes to be levied to support the libraries.
Meanwhile, Scottish native Andrew Carnegie, who had amassed a fortune as an American steel magnate, was giving money to build libraries across the country. The first of the so-called Carnegie libraries was constructed at Braddock, Pa., in 1889. The last was finished in 1946. Carnegie's fortune was used to build 2,811 libraries worldwide, with 1,946 of them in the United States.
In Fort Smith, the Women's Fortnightly Club and the Fort Smith Reading Room Association formed the Fort Smith Public Library Association and received a $25,000 Carnegie grant in March 1906. Judge Isaac Parker had died in 1896 in a home at the site that was selected for the library. That home was destroyed by an 1898 tornado. The cornerstone was laid in March 1907, and the library opened in January 1908. The library moved in September 1970, but the building still stands. It was long the main studio for KFSM-TV, Channel 5.
In Little Rock, a Carnegie grant of $50,000 was received in March 1906. In August 1907, the grant was increased to $88,100. New York architect Edward Tilton worked with Little Rock's Thompson on a building that opened in 1910. Sadly, the Carnegie building was torn down in 1964 at a time when the capital city was wiping out entire neighborhoods under the guise of urban renewal. Four stone columns were saved and erected in front of the CALS main library in 2009.
"Construction on the building began with a groundbreaking in December 1908, and Mary Maud Pugsley was hired as the librarian, beginning her duties in September 1909," Sesser writes. "Even before the building was complete, Pugsley and her assistant had cataloged and created a shelf list for the items received from the Woman's Cooperative Association library. A grand opening was held Feb. 1, 1910, and the library officially opened Feb. 2 with 500 people applying for library cards that day. The library was governed by a board established in 1907."
In Eureka Springs, a Carnegie grant of $12,500 was received in April 1906. Another $3,000 was awarded after B.J. Rosewater, who headed the library board, pleaded with Carnegie. Construction began in 1910 and was completed in 1912. The 3,500-square-foot facility on Spring Street, which has two stone staircases leading to the front door, is still used. The limestone building was designed by St. Louis architect George Hellmuth.
In Morrilton, a $10,000 Carnegie grant was received in September 1915. A women's organization known as the Pathfinder Club, which had been established in 1897, led efforts to secure the grant. The 3,628-square-foot building was completed in October 1916. The library, which is still used, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in April 1978.
------------v------------
Senior Editor Rex Nelson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He's also the author of the Southern Fried blog at rexnelsonsouthernfried.com.
Editorial on 03/18/2020