About this property
Beatrice Public Library is the public library of the city of Beatrice, Nebraska. It was established in 1893. The city library was first located in the Beatrice post office, then moved to the Beatrice Carnegie library in 1904. The Carnegie library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The current library building opened in 1991. In February 1873, the Ladies Library Association of Beatrice began soliciting books, periodical subscriptions, and memberships from the community. Their library, the first in Beatrice, opened in October 1873 with 273 volumes. It was housed in the office space owned by Leonard Colby with his wife Clara Colby serving as the first librarian. The association used a subscription business model, charging a $1 membership fee annually with other subscription plans available. The member could withdraw one book at the time for two weeks. The association changed their name to name “The Public Library Association of Beatrice” in 1877 and removed all of the female pronouns from its constitution allowing men to serve as officers. At its height of success, the library had over 300 volumes, a reading room, and hosted a lecture series including suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton and author Eli Perkins. Competition from the Red Ribbon Club opening a reading room did not bode well for the association's library. Their debts grew, patronage decreased, and the reading room closed in 1879. The library operated out of the Colby's home for a short time before officially closing. In early 1878, the Beatrice Red Ribbon Club announced plans to open a library and reading room. The Red Ribbon movement in Nebraska was headed by temperance activist John B. Finch. Their reading room provided competition to the Library Association but was short lived, operating for only a few years. The local Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) created a third version of a public circulating library. In March 1881, the WCTU Library and Reading Room was founded. Clara Colby loaned 384 volumes from the Library Association’s books to the library. By January 1883, there were 642 books in the library's collection. In 1893, the Beatrice City Council agreed to use the WCTU collection to establish a free public library. In November 1893, the Beatrice Free Public Library was established. The library's creation was the culmination of effort by the Beatrice Literary Club, founded in 1890. The Literary Club offered the city the WCTU library and use the Club's capital as seed money to establish a city library with full and free access which the city accepted. The library was moved into the upper floor of the newly built post office building.In the 1898 annual report, the board of directors mentioned a need for a better library facility. An endowment fund was suggested and was the seed to securing a Carnegie gift.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Beatrice City Library
This page lists Beatrice City Library. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was Beatrice City Library listed on the National Register?
Beatrice City Library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 11, 1976.
What type of historic resource is Beatrice City Library?
Beatrice City Library is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Beatrice City Library?
The period of significance for Beatrice City Library is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1893.
Can I research the history near Beatrice City Library?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Beatrice City Library will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Gage County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Gage County.
Explore GageCounty ›More historic places in Nebraska
Browse all historic places in Nebraska.
View Nebraskahistoric sites ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Beatrice City Library will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.