Part of:
Ohio is traditionally considered to have the best public library service among the states. They certainly started off with a boatload of Carnegie grant money.
Note that the Dayton card (left) shows two Carnegie branch buildings plus its signature Romanesque main library.
Late 1901 grant. Building possibly abandoned.
Attractive C.T. American Art postcard, mailed in 1920. Maybe you can see the flower boxes flanking the steps into the building.
Replaced by
Rodman Public Library in 1963. Demolished in 1974.
I can forgive the loss of the Carnegie building in light of
this history
site. Darn few postcards, but a nice look at the Red
Carnation City's past.
Attractive German postcard from the Rotograph of New York City. Evenly divided back: stamp evaded cancellation.
Two more cards can be seen on the Ohio Library Postcard page.
1904 Carnegie grant. Has had one renovation: is said to need another, or else replacement.
Curt Teich 'American Art' card, mailed 1917. Didn't their retouchers make this building's setting beautiful?
The left hand card is copyright 1905 by the Rotograph Co., and mailed in 1906.
It bears the frightening news, '...Bert is sick typhoid fever.' Not all was
idyllic in the penny postcard world.
The right hand card, published by F.M. Kirby and made in Germany,
was mailed in 1908.
Built in 1903, this is a bit more Federal than many Carnegie libraries. Victimized by a fire during an 1990 renovation, the building has returned to use.
The ACPL site only briefly alludes to the recovery help from
Chicagoans, but I want to give the much-maligned columnist
Bob Greene, formerly of the Chicago Tribune,
his deserved respect. In his January 13, 1991 column he stated
the extent of the damage, especially to the children's books.
Ashtabula had 4,000 books destroyed. Chicagoans responded by
sending 30,000 books.
1903 grant: still be in use, with a 1987 addition.
(L) J.H. Cave card. Except for the leaded glass window above the doors, this has to be the plainest library in Ohio.
(R) Delicate winter scene on a Curt Teich card, mailed in 1938.
It's so fun to find photo cards of both the interior and exterior of a Carnegie library.
(L) Product of the Leiter Post Card Company. Do you see the
Sansevieria on the desk?
Library first organized in 1882: now part of the Williams County Public Library.
Grant, 1903; built 1904; first addition in 1956; West annex, 2006.
The card on the left was mailed in 1914.
The card on the right is a Curt Teich 'C.T. American Art' postcard,
'Art' being the operative word here. I think Curt diverted a motel
artist to his library accounts.
Opened 1906.
The corner lot variant Carnegie building is not as common in the east as in the western United States.
(L) This Commercialchrome card has many details left by the retoucher, including a potted plant
by the steps, and a group of bicyclists near the entry.
Isn't leaving bikes in the walkway rather rude?
(R) Progress. Now there's an old car parked a little too close to the intersection.
C.T. (Curt Teich) American Art Colored card.
Same plants, though!
1902 grant.
Now known as the Guernsey County District Library,
consisting of two branches and the bookmobile.
The Carnegie
building still seems to be in use.
One of the highlights of this card is the group of people on the front steps.
Now known as the Stark County District Library.
The Carnegie building was built in 1900 and superceded in 1978. I do not know what the fate of the building is, but I'm sure the early bookmobile (aka Stark County Traveling Library) is scrap.
1904 grant.
The history on the Carey Waymarking page emphasizes the contribution of the town to obtaining its library.
This is one of those Commercialchrome cards that just might be a Curt Teich production. What looks like a dome on the card is just a wall on the picture on the library's web site. The color is different, also.
1903 grant. Still in use.
Umbrella plant enjoying a sunny vacation in front of the brick library building. The Red tower is not part of the library's structure.
This is an I. Robbins 'Randson' card that has a suspicious resemblance to Curt Teich's 'C.T. American Art' series of the 1920s.
Officially known as 'The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.'
Still in use, according to the Cincinnati library web site.
Built 1913 in Spanish Colonial style. Noted for its Rookwood tile entry.
This is a UNICO (Union News Company) card. They added the flag.
Still in use.
Built 1907. Renamed as Corryville Branch in 1997, after a 1996 renovation. It's looking darn sprightly for a centarian.
The card was made in Germany for Kraemer Art of Cincinnati, and must be
one of the first with a divided back: it was mailed the same year.
Curious architecture, especially in the quoins and the details on the columns.
Built 1910.
Sent 1918. J. Sapirstein card, seriously out of register.
The main library did not use Carnegie funding.
OK, it is the cutest Carnegie library, hands down.
Built in 1906 out of Sandusky granite: renovated 1996.
Web site recently simplified and improved. Its picture illustrates how the addition fits with the original structure.
(L) Sky-Tint card helps locate the library in relation to its neighborhood. (R) Beautiful German card for the Cleveland News Company.
(L) Card never mailed. On back:
State Supt. Conference, Jan 12 and 13th, 1911,
Columbus, Ohio.
(R) Sent in 1918 from Blacklick, Ohio.
Building still in use.
Columbus Metropolitan Library history in depth on its website.
Salient points: Carnegie building built 1903; Special services
building added 1953; renovation, 1990. Go there if you want
the good stuff.
Late 1904 grant, according to Bobinski. 1907 grant, according to the library web history page. Opened in 1909: replaced in 1998. Some traces of the front appear to remain on the photo of the Conneaut Public Library.
(L) Harry H. Hamm card.
(R) Publisher unknown.
© 2003 - 9 Judy Aulik
Split from
Other Ohio Libraries:
05 February 2008.
Split from Ohio Carnegie Libraries D - M and
Ohio Carnegie Libraries N - Z on 03 June 2009.
Home.
Non-Carnegie Ohio libraries.