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GIRARD
EARLY LIBRARY HISTORYAt Thanksgiving, 1897, Miss Jane Addams, of Chicago, the social reformer, visited Girard as the guest of her sister, Mrs. S. Alice Haldeman, and spoke on "Social Settlements" at the Presbyterian Church. Miss Addams was surprised that although the city clubs were doing good work, there was no public library and reading room, a fact which "left a very uncomfortable feeling in the hearts of some of the members of the Ladies Reading Club." On January 21, 1898, a committee was appointed by Mrs. Anna McKay, president of the Ladies Reading Club, and was charged with investigating the possibility of opening a public reading room in Girard. On January 28, 1899, the members of the "Girard City Federation of Clubs" organized a library association. In February, 1899, a library was formally opened in a room in the courthouse which the county commissioners had given up for library use. In 1901, the library was moved to another location, above Beadle's Store, where it stayed for six years.
Color reproducation courtesy of
the Kansas State Historical Society
THE CARNEGIE LIBRARY
Lewis H. Phillips, a prominent figure in Girard, wrote to Andrew Carnegie, who responded on November 24, 1905, with an offer of $8,000.00 for a library building. Two lots were offered to the city for the library site. After some debate it was decided to accept the offer made by Marion Coulter of the John Viets lot on West Prairie, one block from the southwest corner of the town square. The lot, valued at $500.00, was donated by Coulter. The city council also agreed to maintain an annual library budget of $800.00.
The firm of Hair and Smith, architects, of Iola, designed the building. The contract went to A. H. Ritter, of Iola, for $7,897.35. The building was completed during 1906.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING
The building is rectangular, one story above a raised basement. The exterior is of limestone with white stone trim. Two Ionic columns flank the front door and the porch is surmounted by a battlement and a tablet bearing the words "Carnegie Library, 1906". In keeping with the battlement a parapet design is carried out, partially hiding the tile roof. A keystone design is found above the windows.
LATER LIBRARY HISTORY
In 1938, the city spent $1,500.00 on a major renovation of the building. The library now has 19,000 volumes and serves a population of 2,900. 23,100 items were circulated in 1984. The 1985 budget is $26,000.00.
The library is a member of the Southeast Kansas Library System. The library has a microfilm collection of Crawford County newspapers (except Pittsburg), as well as the 1915 and 1925 state censuses for Crawford County.
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