The Jefferson Carnegie Library is a library

Library

In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...

 in Jefferson, Texas

Jefferson, Texas

Jefferson is an historic city in Marion County in northeastern Texas, United States. The population was 2,024 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Marion County, Texas, and is situated in East Texas...

, built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...

. Built in 1907, it is one of four libraries in Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, from the original 34, to currently operate as a library.

History

The ladies of the Jefferson Library Association proposed that a restroom be built and that the fees generated by its use pay for library services. Also, a ten-cent tea was planned at the building the library was occupying on Walnut Street, and proceeds were designated for buying a badly needed bookcase for the two hundred volume collection. Both of these ideas did not work, so in 1907, the library association received a grant from Andrew Carnegie for $7,500 to build a library on the condition that the city appropriate a budget for its upkeep.

Continuing legacy

In 2007, the library began a restoration project which was recognized by the Lucille Terry Award.

External links

• Jefferson Carnegie Library