Divided from the rest of New England in January 2008.
The libraries of New England have their own appeal. Many, by reason of their architecture, are also found on other pages. Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut have a new page.
In March, 2007, I discovered the New England Carnegies page. For the libraries I have tagged as Carnegie libraries, Corinne H. Smith's web page is the reference.
Many of these cards were purchased on a 2005 vacation.
A truly deviant 1903 Carnegie library, large for the size of its town.
The odd Carnegie buildings, I have learned, are the earliest.
Auburn's is considered to be Eclectic style, influenced by
Richardson Romanesque,
according to Smith.
Her
page has some great photographic documentation of the library's
recent renovation.
Early C.T. American Art postcard, never mailed. There are a lot of postcards of Augusta's library.
Reminiscent of the Galesburg, Illinois library.
Both cards are artfully posed, but the righthand card is older. This C.T.
American Art (Curt Teich) card was mailed in 1917.
Symmetry.
This is a Leighton and Valentine Card with an unevenly divided back. I believe that
Hugh C. Leighton merged with Valentine Souvenir, possibly due to the Great War.
A.K.A. Patten Free Library. Built in 1890: still in use, with 2 additions.
Especially on the righthand card,
the library facade looks a touch horrified.
This looks like a very inefficient
use of space. But I like the building anyway. The
link will show you an interior view, if you're curious.
Oddly angular version of a standard plan.This is not a Carnegie library.
I like both these cards, but some of the details in the street view are wonderful. Many New England cards were Hugh C. Leighton cards that were printed in Germany.
Dual publishing information: American Art Post Card Co. and C.T. American Art Colored, an early Curt Teich imprint.
Although the card has an entire back and was printed in Germany, there is a hand stamp of JUN 9 1931. What it signifies, I do not know.
Unusual views, front and rear, of the library and its accompanying amphitheatre. The only other similar combo I have seen is in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Both cards were produced by Curt Teich and date from the 1930s.
Monochrome card mailed 1906.
Color card has entire back. Close examination indicates that
the red walls are retouched. This card seems to be produced
by the same folks that brought you the color Waukesha, WI card.
Built 1901, per detail on color card. On the National Register of Historic Places, per Archiplanet.
(L) Purchased as the Farmington, IL library. Oops. But it is the only
'lilirary' card in my collection. Publisher George H. Hodgdon
needed lessons in mirror writing.
(R) Hodgdon did a little better with this card, but it looks like he may
have bought the plate(s) from Berry Paper of Lewiston.
1905 Carnegie grant. In 2005, occupied by a factory outlet store. The houses in the background are also all gone.
The monochrome card, by F.E. Mehrill
of Freeport, should get the award for the most
depressing library postcard ever.
Frankly, this looks more like a poorhouse or a penitentiary than a library. Per Corinne Smith, it's Queen Anne style.
Although the library received a small ($2,500) amount of Carnegie funding in 1897, calling it a Carnegie library connotes a lot of Andrewphilia.
Who can resist an aluminum postcard?
Evidently,
a lot of folks did: I've seen two to this date.
Apparently the aluminum card was mailed in a glassine envelope,
as fourth class mail. This card was produced by Owens Bros.--
Hillson Co., of Boston.
The other, more ordinary card with an unevenly divided back, was
made in Germany. I believe one of the publishers reversed
the negative.
I don't think this library exists as an entity any more. There is a Hubbard Free Library in Hallowell now, but I'm not finding any pertinent info about it online.
Another ethereal, misty Maine library. This one dates from a 1903 Carnegie grant.
Hard rock library in a hard rock (and hard-scrabble) town. The Carnegie building was finished in 1903, received an addition in 1996; and apparently replaced in 2005, becoming a cultural center.
Lewiston Public Library's webpage is very basic, but has one of the niftiest uses of a logo as wallpaper I've ever seen.
Pleasant red brick library building.
Aww, what a cute little library in the woods. Maybe this could be
called a 'liberry' without making me enraged.
Its operating income was just a touch over $10,000. Somehow I don't
think this building has ever been replaced.
The card was No. 11560 from the Metropolitan News Co. of Boston.
Carnegie building.
Entire back German lithograph postcard mailed in 1906. The quality of the handcoloring is obvious.
To the left of the library front is 'HISTORY,' to the right, 'SCIENCE.'
The library now has a new wing, courtesy of Tabitha King.
Built 1903 - 4 from a 1902 Carnegie grant. 2000 - 1 addition.
Very modern looking library on a linen-finish card mailed in 1935.
If you take a look at more recent buildings such as that of
Plainfield, Illinois,
you can see the resemblance. Beaux Arts has some staying power.
Evocative card featuring a tiny Maine library and three pine trees. One of my favorites.
Simply designated as 'The Library' on this early divided-back card, by the Hugh C. Leighton Co. of Portland. Yes, it was made in Germany.
From the card, it looks as if this incredible hulk was built in 1889.
Yes, it's a Carnegie building.
If two cards can be considered an interesting progression, these illustrate the
maturation of a library's setting.
Library of the town where the HBO production of 'Empire Falls' was filmed.
Carnegie grant dated 1902. Fate of building unkown at this juncture.
Carnegie library, built in 1903; first addition, 1922; renovation, 1966. Smith states that this became New Hampshire's first library that was handicapped-accessible. They must have done this gently and subtly, since in 1978, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
(L) In a nearly prescient touch on the post card, notice
the gentlemen on the right. The older, shorter man, is using the
taller man's arm for support and guidance.
(R) This card is so garish, it might have been a product of
the Elite Postcard Co. of Kansas City, except it was made in Germany.
Made after a few too many steins of Pilsener.
The hand detailing on this early German postcard is amazing. It was made for the Hugh C. Leighton Co. of Portland, ME, printed in Frankfort O/Main. It is card No. 2813.
I want to see 1 - 2812.
Another Tudor/stonework building, this time with
prairie overtones. Whether it is still in use, I do not know.
This is a photograph I dearly wish was in color. It's really not
much of a card, all in all.
From the comfort of my home, I can't find any further information on Dublin's library history. It is currently located at 1114 Main Street in Dublin.
Linen finish card mailed sometime after 1954.
The library was built in 1903, and is still in use. There is no evidence
that it was a Carnegie building.
About all I can find out about Hollis Social Library is that this building is still in use.
Built 1898: still in use, barely. AFAIK, this has nothing in common with the Nichols Library in Naperville, Illinois.
No information yet.
Printed by Frank W. Swallow of Exeter, N.H.; published by the Hotel Rogers; and mailed in 1935.
It may look like a Carnegie library, but I don't think it is. It's still in use (late 2006).
Note the decoration over the front door. It looks a heckuva lot like a dollar bill. Curious.
Carpenter Memorial Library is not as obviously Italianate in design as the Providence library below. Strongest clues are the first storey windows and the roof line.
Quite unusual architecture for a public library: a little Gothic, a little industrial, and a touch of gymnasium. I believe this is the only card of a public library I have that features a clocktower.
The card is a Tichnor Bros. 'Lusterchrome,' for Rudy's Post Card Service. Whether it was Rudy, or the Tichnor boys, the third car captured is an especially fetching Ford Country Squire.
Only the building is hand-colored on this early postcard.
Rather blah Federal style building, more typical of the states to its south.
Carnegie Fletcher Library, Burlington, Vermont.
Published by Chas. W. Hughes, Mechanicsville, N.Y.
Very strange library: the books are in Rock Island,
Quebec, and the checkout counter is in Derby Line, Vermont. The
collection is split between French and English material.
Very strange library card also features the Dominion of
Canada flags.
1905 Carnegie grant.
No web site, but there is some
information,
including a picture that shows the library still in use.
Ah, the wonders of autumn in Vermont! The leaves cover the ground in a cozy blanket, and the retoucher restored them to the trees.
I'm up to 3 of these now, which is a very bad thing.
In self-defense, sometimes the details make the difference. In the lefthand card, there is a bike leaning up against the stairs. In the center card, a small bike rack appears on the treebank. On the righthand card, bushes appear.
According to the date in Roman numerals above the entry, this was built in 1883, the same year that the Cairo, IL library was built. It must have been a good year for library architects, as these early public libraries' architecture seldon repeats.
The card, from the 'C.T. American Art' series (whose plate number I cannot make out), was made for Edward L. Mc Cann of Woodstock.
© 2003-2008 Judy Aulik
Uploaded 05 December 2006; divided from southern New England on 20 January 2008.