Albright Memorial Building
About this property
The Albright Memorial Library, also commonly referred to as the Scranton Public Library, is a historic public library located in Scranton, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. The library is located on the corner of Vine Street and Washington Avenue. Since the library opened in May 1893, it has served the city of Scranton and the surrounding areas by providing access to books, DVDs, computer services, and more. Joseph J. Albright originally came to the city of Scranton as a general coal sales agent for the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad. He would construct a house on the corner of Washington Ave. and Vine St., which he lived in with his wife Elizabeth and their children. After Joseph and Elizabeth’s deaths, the Albright children reached an agreement with the City of Scranton to donate the land to be used as a library. The original Albright house was demolished in 1890, so the construction of the Albright Memorial Library could begin. On May 25, 1893, the Scranton Public Library was ready to open two months earlier than originally anticipated. An invite only reception was held that night. During the ceremonies, Harry C. and John Joseph Albright handed over the deed for the ground of the Scranton Public Library to Mayor Connell, who accepted on behalf of the city. The next day, May 26, the library opened to the general public with Henry Carr as the first librarian. The library collection was originally 10,600 volumes selected by the first librarian Henry Carr. The Scranton Republican reported that this selection covered a “wide range of subjects including works of reference, philosophy, theology, social science, national sciences, useful and fine arts, poetry, drama, essays, fiction, biography travels, history, etc.” By June 15, 1893, over 1500 people had signed up for a library card and continued to grow steadily. Between 200 and 350 books were being checked out daily. During World War II, the Scranton Public Library participated in the Victory Book Campaign, which encouraged the public to donate gently used or new books to soldiers fighting overseas. Former library director Harold A Wooster was the chairman of the Victory Book Campaign for Lackawanna County in 1942. A direct telephone line for the campaign was even installed in the Albright Memorial Library to help facilitate the donation of books. The library collected the books to prepare them to be shipped to main hubs before being transported to the soldiers. During the 1942 Victory Book Campaign, Lackawanna County collected almost 35,000 books. An additional 6,000 books would be donated during the campaign in 1943.
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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.
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Questions about this property
When was Albright Memorial Building listed on the National Register?
Albright Memorial Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 21, 1978.
What type of historic resource is Albright Memorial Building?
Albright Memorial Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Albright Memorial Building?
The period of significance for Albright Memorial Building is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Albright Memorial Building?
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 Albright Memorial Building will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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