City Directories and History: The Sumter County Historical Research Center at the Carnegie Library, constructed in 1917. Architects: James Herbert Johnson, Fred H. Deal, Nat Gaillard Walker, and James Bertram. Builder was J.M. Harby who was paid, $7,774.41 for the original work.
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Sumter’s first and only Caranegie public library from 1917 to 1968, was one of the 1,679 public libraries built in the United States with funding from the Carnegie Corporation, and represents the trend towards the establishment of public libraries in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This simple Beaux Arts building was designed by local architects J. Herbert Johnson and N. Gaillard Walker, in conjunction with Secretary James Bertram of the Carnegie Corporation. This building represents the progressive and civic-minded nature of the citizens of Sumter during the first decade of the twentieth century, as well as the social responsibility displayed by Andrew Carnegie. Though the $10,000 cost of construction was funded by the Carnegie Corporation, the operation and maintenance of the library was the financial responsibility of the city of Sumter. The Sumter Civic League raised money to purchase books for the library. The building was a center for learning for the citizens of the city for a large part of the twentieth century. Listed in the National Register August 5, 1994. ( Courtesy of South Carolina Department of Archives and History)
View the complete text of the nomination form for this National Register Property.
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R&R HISTORY THREAD: SCHS Mag. Article “The Library’s History” by R.J. Edens
R&R HISTORY LINK: Colton’s 1850s Map of Sumter County
NATIONAL REGISTER – IMAGE(S)
Please enjoy this structure and all those listed in Roots and Recall. But remember each is private property. So view them from a distance or from a public area such as the sidewalk or public road.
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IMAGE GALLERY – Courtesy of the Segars Collection, 2016
