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Central Park Area (Wards 1 & 2) - Neighborhood History Project
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Carthage Public Library, 612 South Garrison Avenue

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Prior to 1870 the only libraries in Carthage were private affairs, owned by local individuals such as doctors or lawyers. In January of 1870 the first public library was opened, located above the local newspaper office of the Carthage Banner. Over the next few years the library was bounced around to several different locations in town. By 1890 the need for a permanent library had become apparent. An application was submitted to Andrew Carnegie for funding and a search for a suitable site began. The location selected was at the southeast corner of 7th Street and Garrison Avenue. One half of the site was donated by Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Hall in memory of their daughter Ruth. The other half of the property was purchased by a group of local concerned citizens. With an estimated overall cost of $45,000 dollars, $25,000 was contributed from Andrew Carnegie and the balance was raised by concerned citizens of Carthage. Built in a French Renaissance style with a touch of Greek influence, the library was opened on February 2, 1905. The opening ceremonies lasted three days with the main address given by William King Caffee, who was the President of the library's Board of Trustees. The initial inventory of books numbered 3,000 and the first book checked out was Ben Hur by Lew Wallace.

Images

  • Former entrance to 1905 Carthage Public Library on West Seventh Street. The current main entrance to the expanded building is now on the east side of the building.
  • Another view of the 1905 Carthage Public Library.
  • 2007 Expansion of the Carthage Public Library and the building's new main entrance.
  • Marker inside the library in the 1905 portion honoring Ruth Hall.
  • Dome over original check-out counter of 1905 library.
  • Stained glass found underneath the dome area.
  • In addition to books, the library features rotating art displays and has some historic collections of its own on display. This is a sampling of the doll and miniature collection donated by Mrs. Fannie Harding Hill who assembled the collection.
  • Digitization on CLIO is part of Powers Museum's "Digital Carthage" project in honor of Carthage's 175th Anniversary Celebration (March 28, 2017 through March 27, 2018).
  • Funding for the Walking in the Wards tour was made possible by a grant from the Missouri Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities, Spring 2017.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Over the years numerous alterations have been made to the original structure. In 2003 with a need for more space, plans were submitted for a major expansion. An addition of 13,486 square feet was added to the north side of the original building. A ballot for a 3/16th cent tax was presented to the public and passed. The tax generated 2.5 million dollars that was paired with 2 million dollars raised from private donors. R. E. Smith Construction built the new addition and it opened May 29, 2007.

The 1905 library building that faces Seventh Street, still retains its original oak woodwork and a stained glass and plaster decorated dome over what was once the original check out counter. Now the area is used for displays of historic collections and the local history/reference section of the library.

To the east of the library is the E. L. Dale garden that hosts a sculpture of “Alice in Wonderland” by local artist Bill Snow. The garden grounds are neat and maintained by the Ozark Gateway Master Gardeners. Many other memorials are found throughout the garden area and a fountain at the eastern edge of the property has the names of many of the donors to the library's expansion project.

This entry was written by Duane Griffith, Missouri Southern State University Volunteer, Summer 2017.

Sources

Powers Museum Vertical Files: Carthage Public Library.

Vandergriff, Sue. Then and Now. Carthage MO: author, 2003.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Contemporary photographs of Library taken by Michele Hansford (all but first image taken in 2017-18).

Additional Information