"By all
means let us have a library"
were the infamous words that
appeared in an editorial by
Sterling Gault in
The Chronicle
newspaper in June 1906. As
editor and manager, Gault used
the newspaper to champion his
dream of a town library and is
credited for sparking interest
in the community.
Gault's
message resonated in the minds
of Emmitsburgians as the library
stands this year at its 100th
anniversary, being the oldest in
Frederick County. Through the
Great Depression and government
quarrels the library has
survived. No matter where the
library has been located, the
idea of public learning
remained. Today, in a recently
renovated building, the library
serves as a focal point for
community creativity.
Gault's 'member' library takes
shape
Shortly
after Gault's editorial
appeared, a committee formed and
began planning to open the
library in August of 1906. After
a few months of preparation, the
Emmitsburg library opened on
Dec. 1, 1906.
The
library started out in a rented
room of storeowner
Christian Zacharias,
which was located next to the
Reformed Church of the
Incarnation, with a mere 52
members and less than 200
donated books. Unlike today's
libraries, it started as a
subscription library with a
yearly $1 membership fee and
nickel late fees.
The
committee agreed on 12 rules to
help preserve the collection,
including "No person living in a
house where there is a
contagious disease can draw a
book from the library. And no
book which has been in such
surroundings can be returned to
the library;" and "All books may
be kept two weeks and, except
fiction, may be renewed for the
same time."
By the
end of the first year the
library held 438 books and 77
members. Two years later when
the annual report from the
Maryland State Library
Commission came out, field
secretary J. Herbert Stabler
said "In only one town,
Emmitsburg, in Frederick County,
did I find a thriving public
library in good working order,
with a good selection of books
of reference and good modern
fiction."
Expansions and moves over the
years
As the
library expanded, extra space
was needed. In 1912 the library
made the first of many moves to
a larger location, to the home
of
Henry Stokes on West
Main Street.
Committee members and volunteers
got creative in raising money to
keep the library thriving. A
"women's exchange" was formed
and proved to be the greatest
source of income for several
years. The program was designed
to profit not only the library,
but also women in the community
interested in peddling goods.
If, for example, a woman wanted
to sell a cake for 30 cents, the
library would sell it for 45
cents and keep the profit.
When the
library wasn't able to raise the
money needed, community members
would pitch in, donating simple
items like box fans or pencil
sharpeners. Free trash
collection was offered and
community civic groups even paid
the rent from time to time.
"It's
really a story of the community
valuing a library and coming
together," said current
librarian Joan Fisher. "This was
a central place in the community
where people came for culture."
Revitalization in the '60s and
continued growth
After
suffering through the Great
Depression and a loss of
interest in the 1950s, the
Greater Emmitsburg Junior
Chamber of Commerce took it upon
themselves to revitalize the
spirit of the library in
1961.The committee worked to
acquire necessary funds and
relocated yet again, this time
into the C.A. Harner building.
In a little over half a year
since the revamping, the library
had reached a circulation of
over 2,800 with 454 members.
The
library remained in the Harner
building until 1976 when it
moved to the former high school
and their current home on South
Seton Avenue. The chairman of
the library board, Mr. Holmes,
toasted to the new location at
the next meeting saying, "After
years and years of trying to get
into a new building, we finally
made it into an old building,
but it is far superior to our
old facilities - to the new
library."
Again in
the 1990s the library would have
to fight for survival when
Frederick County officials made
a motion to tear down the
building and consolidate the
Thurmont and Emmitsburg
libraries.
"There
was such a strong sentimental
feeling about the building
itself," said Fisher. "People
were really upset."
Not
about to stand for this, the
community invited county
commissioners for a meeting in
the town about the proposed
closing. With over 100 citizens
in attendance and letters and
petitions pouring in, Emmitsburg
proved to the county that the
library wasn't going anywhere.
Celebrating a century of history
"It is
the oldest library and over the
100 years different people have
stood behind the library as
something important," said Bo
Cadle, member of the Emmitsburg
Branch of the Friends of the
Library.
From a
small room with less than 200
books to a 6,000 sq. ft.
building with a collection of
over 33,000 items, including a
unique local genealogy section,
the library has come a long way.
Today,
patrons come to the library and
are able to enjoy more than just
reading. Paintings from Caroline
Jones and Linda Postelle are on
display, as well as children's
art that was submitted for the
"100 years of service" contest.
The library also hosts a
filmmaking class for kids, an
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