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Replies: 14 / Views: 673 |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
1129 Posts |
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I'm kind of surprised no one has put out a thread on this topic yet. Andrew Carnegie was, without doubt, the person who brought libraries into the mainstream across the country. He personally funded more than 1,600 libraries in the U.S. between 1883 and 1929. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_...nited_StatesThat time frame coincides with the golden age of picture postcards and I know there are a number of cards depicting Carnegie Libraries. I've seen some -- however, I don't own a single one. Who out there has some they can share?
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Valued Member

United States
424 Posts |
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A former boss of mine collected library postcards, he had somewhere around 4,500, many of which were Carnegies. For several states he had all the Carnegies, in multiple varieties. He believed his was the third largest collection, the largest belonging to a former director of a large public university in New England who had about 10,000. Both of these gentlemen are now deceased - dont know what happened to the collections.
The Carnegies were instant winners in the postcard business. Every town that got one was happy to promote their new civic edifice, often in some rivalry with other neighboring towns. And then after the first card was depleted, another ppc was done from another angle.
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Pillar Of The Community
3362 Posts |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
1129 Posts |
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Wow, still in use as a library! That's unusual. We have three of these in our county that I know of and none are being used as libraries. |
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Valued Member
Canada
100 Posts |
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There were 125 Carnegie libraries built across Canada as well, with many of them in Ontario. This website depicts some in postcard form. https://www.aulik.info/carnegie-canada-ontarioThe Cornish Library in Winnipeg is one of 3 Carnegies in my city and is undergoing an extensive renovation. It's still in use today as a popular historic library. |
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Valued Member
United States
169 Posts |
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The Carnegie Library in my hometown of Albia, Iowa opened in 1908. The original library is still in full use to this day. The link I provided here is a list of the Carnegie Libraries in Iowa. https://dsps.lib.uiowa.edu/clip/library/466/I am sure you can find them for the other states as well. |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
1071 Posts |
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Click on a state to see the list for that state: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_...nited_StatesNot my postcard, but here's the Carnegie library in my hometown, Visalia, California. It opened in 1904 and was demolished in 1936, when it was replaced by the WPA building that I frequented when I was a kid.  |
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Edited by erilaz - 09/28/2020 12:21 am |
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Pillar Of The Community

United States
2629 Posts |
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Thank you for including the wikipedia link, Erilaz.It seems Carnegie Libaries were built in four of the cities of the two California counties I collect. Looks like I'll be hunting for these.  I've seen a few copies, un-used. Ukiah and Willits, in Mendocino County are both still standing, but used for another purpose. Eureka and Ferndale in Humboldt county are both still standing, Eureka was restored by the Humboldt Arts Council and is now the Morris Craves Museum of Art. Ferndale is the only Carnegie Grant Library in northwestern California still functioning as a library!  |
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Edited by littleriverphil - 09/28/2020 09:43 am |
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Pillar Of The Community
3362 Posts |
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The architecture design of half a level underground and a flight of stairs to the main floor makes ADA compliance problematic these days without ramps or elevators - often retrofitted on the back side or through a modern addition to the building. |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
1129 Posts |
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Quote: Thank you for including the wikipedia link, Erilaz. You mean like the one in my OP? Quote: Eureka and Ferndale in Humboldt county are both still standing, Eureka was restored by the Humboldt Arts Council and is now the Morris Craves Museum of Art. As it happens, I stopped by both of those buildings in August while I was in the area. Unfortunately both were closed due to Covid.   |
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Pillar Of The Community

United States
2629 Posts |
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Finally! After what seemed weeks of clicking every Eureka Carnegie Library postcard (of at least two views) on eBay (8 pages of collectable postcards) and hippostcard (6 pages), I found one used in Eureka 1906, on Hip. No luck on Ukiah, Willits or Ferndale as yet. Did come across an old lead on a Port Kenyon postmarked Ferndale Carnegie pc in a back issue of La Posta, in a mail sale, $20 while browsing Lane county Oregon postmarks. Whole No 84 Vol 14-No 6    |
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Edited by littleriverphil - 11/15/2020 8:14 pm |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
1129 Posts |
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Pillar Of The Community

United States
2629 Posts |
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Pillar Of The Community

United States
2629 Posts |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
1129 Posts |
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Replies: 14 / Views: 673 |
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