|
A
library for the City of Morris was a dream that began with
construing a way of providing reading material for the public
and finding a place to house it. On February 15, 1873 the
Eagle Hose Company met in the firemen’s hall of the old city
hall to consider organizing a reading room to provide access
to all the leading newspapers and magazines available in the
county. Then Dr. Emmanuel Ridgeway suggested that library association be organized according to a new Illinois
State law. By
unanimous agreement the petition was sent to the Secretary of
State, the charter received, and the Morris Library
Association opened the first Morris City Library. Officers
were elected and five trustees were appointed to draw up
by-laws and a constitution. Immediately 50 people joined, and
the local press deemed it “the best thing ever started in
Morris.”
The
Morris Library Association also sponsored lectures.
The first was given by General Kilpatrick on
“Sherman’s March to the Sea.” From the very beginning
the Morris Library Association established itself as not just
a lending library, but a cultural influence as well.
The
collection began with 100 volumes, many of them donated,
spanning history, travel, biography, novels, and scientific
works. A dance was held at Hull’s Hall to raise money to buy
more. Membership grew substantially that first year. Four
years after its inception the 1,000 volumes had outgrown the
city hall. It had to be moved to Room 6 of the Claypool
Building. Ten years later it moved again, to the Ridgeway
building on the corner of Liberty and Jefferson Streets.
In
1910 when the addition was made to the City Hall, the Council
set aside one room for a library, and passed an ordinance
taking advantage of a new state law providing tax support for
library purposes. Dr. Frank C. Bowker was then serving as
alderman of the Second Ward. Dr. Bowker was elected as its
first president, and served until his death in 1953.
 During
the remaining months of 1911 legal requirements were met to
appropriate the necessary funds, the lot at the corner of
Liberty and North was purchased as a site, and Andrew Carnegie
was approached requesting a grant for the building. On January
12, 1912 the Library Board met to acknowledge the reply from
Andrew Carnegie promising a $12,500 gift for a library
building.
Miss
Ethel Thayer was hired to serve as librarian beginning
September 1, 1913. On December 5, 1913 the new Carnegie
Library was turned over to the City of Morris and opened to
the public.
As
the years went by the collection outgrew the original
building, so existing space was converted and remodeled.
Finally, in January 1968 the Library Board unanimously agreed
to construct a new building 2 ½ times the size of the
existing one. By January of 1970 the forms were being poured
and by April 1971 it was
completed.
In
April 1987 the Morris Area Library District was passed by
public referendum to expand the area served to include all of
the Morris Fire and School Districts. Then in February 1991
the Library Board voted unanimously
to proceed with plans for a $1.22 million addition to the
north end of the existing building, adding 15,000 square feet,
moving the Children’s Department upstairs, and creating a
meeting area downstairs.
With
the opening of this new addition in 1993 the library was ready
for an automated circulation system, completed in April 1996
.
|
