At a meeting of the Coatesville Commercial Club on January 11, 1912 the question of organizing a public library was discussed. After an invitation, a staff member of the Public Library Commission came and explained the necessary steps to be taken to get a library.
Mr. H.E. Hathaway, President of the Commercial Club appointed a committee to start things off and the members were as follows: Mrs. Charles Gambold, Mrs. Mary Sharp and Mr. Guy Masten.
After meeting all requirements of the law to establish a library, trustees were appointed. This first library board was made up of Frank Brown, George Hughes, Allen Campbell, W.T. Beck, Mrs. Charles Gambold, Mrs. Margy Sharp and Mrs. Beulah Knight.
The Coatesville Library with its donation of books from town and community started with 454 books and fifteen dollars in cash donations. Miss Rose M. Crews was elected librarian. The books were housed in a room that was once above the bank. The library was open on Tuesday and Saturday and the librarian's pay was a dollar a week.
The first real home of the library was an upper room in the school building recently razed. This decision was made; give as much help as possible to school boys and girls, teachers and to Club members.
Soon after the library started a small tax was levied to stock the shelves with good reading material. The motto was, "Quality, not quantity".
In 1913 a branch library was set up at Amo. In this same year application was made for a Carnegie Fund and this was eventually granted.
By June 1916 the town boasted of a new library building erected on the old "Bundy Lot". The construction of the building was carried out by the Masten Lumber Company and a good job it was on. At a later date the board was to consist of the following members: Frank Brown, W.E. Greenlee, Otis Wheeler, Mrs. Della Bridges, Mrs. Frances Mark, Mrs. V.J. Fuson and Mr. Merle Masten.
It should be said that Frank Brown was a most devoted friend to the library and served it until ill health made it impossible for him to attend meetings.
The present board is made up of Mable Davidson, President Louise Phillips, Vice Pres. and Chairman of the book committee, John Gambold Secretary, Ruth Owens Asst. Sec. and John Bombei, Treasurer.
It should be stated also that in the 1948 tornado the Carnegie Library was entirely destroyed and had to be replaced by the present structure.
Some of the librarians who have helped in serving books to the reading public were Mrs. Beulah Knight, Miss Geneva Bryant, Mrs. Haines, Olive Bourne and Mrs. Geneva (Bryant) Herod the present librarian. (Followed by Madge Dean, Ruth Fuson and Cheryl Stienborn... who is currently the librarian?)
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Questions about Coatesville:
Contact Town Hall at 4994 Milton Street
Coatesville, IN 46121 765-386-7205
