Council Bluffs Free Public Library
4-fr inn pudiic uorary represents me
I spirit of the age. The time
una urnveu wuera & cny b bihbu
of advancement may be de
termined by its attitude toward
the public library. It makes a city or
town a far more desirable place of resi
dence and thus attracts the best class of
citizens. More than any other agency. It
elevates the general standard of intelli
gence and brings the benefits of higher
education to the massei whom neither the
church nor the high schools are able to
reach."
These were tha words of Frederick M.
Crunden of the St. Louis Pub'.lc School
library before the Iowa Library society's
annual meeting several years ago. What
was Irue then is equally true today. That
a free public library was one of the chief
factors in the upbuilding of a city has
never been lost sight of by the citizens of
Council Bluffs. The library movement In
Council Bluffs, which received Its first
impetus when the city was emerging from
what might be termed a frontier outfitting
ptst, has passed through successive stages
and many vicissitudes until within the
near future Council Bluffs will be able to
proudly point to a $70,000 building, the
permanent home of the city's free public
library.
While this building, when erected, will
stand as a monument to the munificence of
Andrew Carnegie, It will also testify to
the advancement of the city. The offer of
Mr. Carnegie to donate 170,000 for a library
building in Council Bluffs was based
on certain conditions. The principal condi
tion was that the city pledge the levying
annually of a sum not less than $7,000 to
maintain the library. Realizing the great
advantage of the building to the com
munity which they represented, the alder
men hesitated not a moment In enacting
the proper legislation to bind the munici
pality to comply with this condition. An
ticipating the willingness of Mr. Car
negie to donate a sum sufficient for a suit
able library for the city, the library board
with the acquiescence of the city council
had taken the necessary steps for the
acquisition of a site by the levying of
sufficient tax to purchase the requisite
property.
The library movement In Council Bluffs,
which had its first start in 1866, has since
that date passed through successive stages.
The first effort toward a public library re
sulted in the organization of the Young
Men's Library association in May, 1S66, of
which the late W. H. M. Pusey was the
first president. The succeeding year the
late Chancellor L. W. Ross was president
Frank M. Streamer was librarian and
the library was located in what was then
known as the Empire block, on Broadway.
Several hundred books were collected by
donation and purchase and the library was
In a fair way of getting a start when
disaster overtook it. On June 26, 1867, the
Empire block was destroyed by fire and
with it the library of the association. For
four years Council Bluffs was without a
public library. In 1870 Superintendent
Allen Armstrong of the High school formed
Ihe nucleus for a library for the benefit of
the pupils from funds obtained by the
graduating exercises, and he succeeded in
organizing tha Council Bluffs High School
Library association. This was in the lat
ter part of 1870. The late Horace Evprett,
one of the leading spirits in the library
movement, assisted the association by the
donation of several hundred volumes from
his private library.
In May of the year following the scope
of the library was enlarged by its Incorpo-
......--
I).' C. BLOOMER, PRESIDENT LI
BRARY BOARD FROM 1892 TO
1902.
. t . t i
r "' ) 5 ' ; I
' r
i , i . i
r- -
r'V'ii
jr
V
' ' v ' .
fcv
W. S. BAIRD, TRUSTEE COUNCIL
BLUFFS LIBRARY.
ration under the title of the Council Bluffs
Public Schcol library. The incorporators
were Horace Everett, Allen Armstrong,
George S. Massey, Anna Foos, Lucy Rider,
Augustine Hart, D. C. Bloomer, D. B.
Dailey and B. W. Hlght. In 1873 an ar
rangement was made whereby the library
was removed from the High school build
ing to the rooms of the Young Men's Chris
tian association in the Woodbury building
on Pearl street. This arrangement was
brought about mainly through the efforts
of Horace Everett, who was anxious to
see the building up of a free library In the
city. Donations and subscriptions were so
licited, the reading room was well sup
plied with papers and periodicals and addi
tions were made to the library. William
T. Robinson of the Young Men'B Christian
association gave his services as librarian.
Later, at different intervals, the post of
librarian was filled by Miss Fairman, Miss
Bayliss and William D. Turner. This ar
rangement between the Public School li
brary and the Young Men's Christian asso
ciation continued with but slight change
for a period of five years.
The next step was the organization, In
March, 1878, of the Council Bluffs Library
association. The incorporators were Horace
MRS. D. B. DAILEY, LIBRARIAN, COUN CIL BLUFFS PUBLIC LIBRARY Photo
by a Staff Artist.
Everett, D. C. Bloomer, A. W. Street, D.
B. Dailey, B. W. Hlght, J. F. Evans, W. H.
Hatch, C. W. Munger. Realizing the im
portance of having the assistance of the
women, the incorporators at their first
election of directors selected the following
seven women to act on the board: Mrs.
Horace Everett, who today Is a member of
the board of trustees of the free public
library; Mrs. Q. M. Dodge, Mrs. N. P.
Dodge, Mrs. N. M. Pusey, Mrs. A. W.
Street, Mrs. J. W. Chapman, Mrs. Henry
Osborne. The first officers were: Presi
dent, Mrs. Horace Everett; vice president,
Mrs. Q. M. Dodge; secretary, Mrs. N. M.
Pusey; treasurer, A. W. Street; superin
tendent, D. C. Bloomer; librarian, Mrs.
Maria F. Davenport. The library started
out with about 1,500 volumes and the city
council allowed (15 a month for the rent
of a room for the use of the library. Mr.
Everett donated the use of a room on tho
condition that the allowance by the city
council be devoted to the purchase of
books.
The women went energetically to work,
and by means of a series of entertain
ments swelled the treasury and thus
enabled the purchase of a large number
of books. The women, however, did not
slop here. In 1875 an effort had been made
to levy a tax for the maintenance of the
library, but had failed. In 1880 the women
decided to make another appeal to estab
lish the library on a permanent basis by
having the city vote an annual tax for Its
maintenance, as provided by law. The
proper ordinance was passed to submit the
proposition to a public vote, but there came
a hitch. The mayor, acting on the opinion
of the city attorney, refused In his elec
tion proclamation to include the proposi
tion. Tho directors had their ticket
printed and the proposition carried by a
handsomo majority. The city council then
refused to proclaim the result, and the
courts were appealed to and a mandamus
was issued ordering the city council to
levy the tax, and the following year wit
nessed the establishment of the Council
Bluffs Free Public library. The property
of the Council Bluffs Library association
was turned over to the city for the publlo
library by the trustees and life members
on condition that If the city should at any
time fall to maintain the free public library
the property so turned over should revert
to the Council Bluffs Library association.
The ordinance to establish a Free Public
library was passed November 28, 1881, and
HORACE EVERETT. ONE OF T1IK
FOUNDERS OF THE COUNCIL
BLUFFS LIBRARY.
r
M. r. ROHRER. PRESIDENT
COUNCIL BLUFFS PUBLIC LI
BRARY. a municipal tax of one-half mill was levied
by the city council. The following nine
trustees were appointed by the city council:
Horace Everett, D. C. Bloomer, Thomas
Officer, Jefferson P. Casady, Joseph R.
Reed, John H. Keatley, Rev. Cyrus Hamlin,
A. W. Stroet and W. R. Vaughan. Horace
Everett was elected as the first president
and Mrs. M. F. Davenport as librarlat.
The rate of taxation of one-half mill war
continued in 1882, 1883 and 1884, and In 1885
was raised to 1 mill. Under the present
law the board, by the consent of the city
council. Is empowered to levy not exceed
ing 2 mills for the maintenance of the
library. The levy this year was only 1H
Horace Everett remained as president of
the board of trustees from 1882 until 1890,
when he was succeeded by Dr. Don Macrae,
sr. In 1892 Hon. D. C. Bloomer succeeded
Dr. Macrae as president and continued to
act as such until his death, February 24,
1900, when ex-Mayor M. F. Rohrer was
elected to the position. Mr. Rohrer was
re-elected In 1900, 1901 and 1902, and la
consequently now serving his third term
as president of the board, which consists
of Flnley Burke, W. S. Baird, Father Pat-
(Contlnued on Seventh Page.)
Delegates to the Convention of the Nebraska Association of County Commissioners, from a Photo by a Staff Artist
v
ESJ , S ! , UU.. M ...... II . I J
; : ' t
! t I I t
I ? ! . 3f 1
i - i i i - -. - ! ?! . r- - if t
-r , (a , v "j. t- .x.
r ) .. V .-1. 'V" . . -- 7.
i r I 4 - .-
" t v -J A Z,( f . :ik r
T
Xi ( v; f; "vr.
V
1 '
I1
It i
1 V
hi fl
(i.
i ...
