Angola's Carnegie Library

 

 I love that we have so many musical groups in our area, and I am lucky enough to be friends with most of them! Last week the Channel Cats made a rare appearance at the Angola Carnegie Library. I sat in the front row with my friend, Jan, listening to them play and sing unplugged, as they called it. Usually when I hear them play it is quite noisy in a restaurant around the area. This was different and just lovely. At one point Bill Eyster commented on growing up going to the old library. Karen Holman immediately spoke up and asked if he attended kindergarten in the basement of the old library. He replied in the negative and was surprised at the question. He did not know there was a class once upon a time in the basement. Isn’t that a lovely thought? Little children going to half day kindergarten in the basement of the library?

For those of you who do not know, the new library (well, it was new at one point!) completely wraps around the old Carnegie Library. It is tucked inside just like a pearl inside an oyster.

A few years ago we had a celebration at the library in which I portrayed Louisa Hendry. Louisa came to Angola as a child with her parents, Thomas and Sarah Gale. During that time of research, I learned so much about Andrew Carnegie and our own library. Louisa was also very instrumental in bringing the library to Angola.

With a little help from Indianahistory.org, I learned even more. Andrew Carnegie came as a poor young person to the United States from Scotland. By the 1800’s he was well on his way to wealth from his empire in steel. One of his first projects was to build the Carnegie Library in Washington, D.C. It opened in 1903. Inscribed over the doorway are these words, “Science, Poetry, History.” Carnegie felt that libraries were where we go to feed our brain. Between the years 1901-1922 Carnegie funded 164 libraries in Indiana! Even more impressive is the fact that Carnegie funded more libraries in Indiana than in every other state. Why, you may ask? I know I certainly did.

A little research always helps me find the answers. At the turn of the century Hoosiers were literary hungry (my own words!) for knowledge and for a better selection of literary pieces. At the time of these grants the libraries (if you could call them that) were poorly housed with very limited choices and were staffed somewhat or not at all. It is interesting to note that women’s literary groups helped bring these libraries to Indiana. These grants continued until November 7, 1917, the day the United States entered WW1. It is also interesting to note that Carnegie was invited to all the openings of the 164 libraries but did not attend any of them. To this day 100 are still standing.

Our own library was built in 1903. They had a difficult time deciding where to put it as Carnegie wanted all libraries to be in the center of town. Of course, our center still had a watering hole in the middle which later became the home for Miss Columbia. It probably would not have been a great place for the library!

Carnegie also insisted each library have a meeting room for discussions on books and intellectual materials.

We are so fortunate in our town. When the time came to update, it was decided to wrap around the old library. When you visit take some time to check it out. We also have so much to offer at our library and a friendly staff ready to help. I love just hanging out at the desk chatting about books or theatre. We also have a wonderful children and teen’s section under the direction of Elizabeth Adamson. Summer reading programs are a gift to our community to keep kids reading and active during the summer months. There are lots of meeting rooms for everything from the herb society to the woodworkers to the ukulele players.

The best thing you can do for our library (or your own local library) is to get a library card. Check it out…books, CD’s, current movies, magazines or have your book club meet there every month. And go to the programs, such as the Channel Cats!

Andrew Carnegie was a self-man man who once said, “The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced.”

Thank you, Mr. Andrew Carnegie.