Civic Pride in a Lost America: Library Postcards
Carnegie Libraries of Illinois
Cities J-L
Jacksonville
(L) Hand-colored card with delicate, believable tints. This is another case where it seems as if the photo was taken before the library was opened. The right wing looks empty.
Card was mailed in 1907, a very early divided-back card.
(R) RPPC with hitching post in foreground.
1901 grant. The building is still in use, with a necessary addition.
Jerseyville
C.T. American Art
Black and White brand postcard,
a less common Curt Teich marque.
Entire back, pre-1907 card with its message on the obverse.
Hand tinted and captioned photo postcard, bearing the cheerful news,
'I am sick and cannot get out.
Harriet'
Joliet
Likely publisher:
C.U. Williams
The 1905 RPPC is the only card with interesting details.
Unknown publisher.
(R) Early linen finish card by Curt Teich.
Daniel Burnham designed this semi-Gothic, semi-Romanesque library in 1903. It has the unfortunate distinction of falling victim to a 1989 arson attack. 1991 brought much better news: a new addition. This building is still in use as the Main Branch.
Kewanee
No matter who you are, those trees get in the way.
(L) Attractive early Curt Teich card, with unevenly divided back, postmarked 1908. A rare (for a manufacturer of such repute) spelling error calls the town 'Kewannee.' Probably too late for a refund.
(R) Unknown publisher.
(L) A street view also captures the Congregational Church, which is demolished today.
(R) Colorized version of the card above.
Built in 1906 - 1908 by Patton & Miller. Considering that it was funded partially from a 1901 Carnegie grant, the delay is rather remarkable.
The building was renovated in 2000 and is still in use. The main interior is fairly intact, although furnishings are likely not where P&M intended.
The Library's updated web site has a nice history page, with a pretty picture of the library's stained glass window.
La Grange
(L) C.R. Childs knew what to do about hardwood incursions.
(R) They took pattern from Freeport. Hello Josie
Well, no, they didn't, Josie. And I gave your handwriting a little assistance while I was at it.
(L) William G. Hoffman card. When I look at the quality of other Chicago postcard products, Hoffman must have been the cost-cutting leader.
(R) 1940 Curt Teich linen finish card.
1904-1969
More information on the Library's history page.
LaHarpe
Late 1904 grant: its cornerstone was laid in an impressive ceremony on September 25, 1905, according to the local newspaper, The Quill. The building is still in use.
If there was ever a case for a 'taken pattern,' there might be one for La Harpe and several Iowa Carnegie libraries, including Charles City and Marengo.
The card's photographer was L.W. Butler, who might have been its distributor.
LaSalle
(L) B.N. Rhodes card.
(R) Corbus & Herrmann card, mailed in 1910.
Lewistown
(L) Beautiful German card, imported and published by J.R. Grafton of Lewistown. Unevenly divided back.
(R) Monochrome card by Curt Teich, mailed 1940.
A 1906 Carnegie building, still in use. I think architect Paul Moratz was growing bored with domes at this point.
Lincoln
According to the Bials, the grant came in 1901. The library, which seems small for the city, was renovated in the 1970s. Its next expansion was in the form of an annex across an alley into a renovated store. It was a wise decision, because the interior of the Carnegie building is fabulous, and nearly intact!
(L) Even though this card dates from 1907, it carries a union 'bug,' for the Allied Printing Trades Council (Chicago). It was mailed in 1909 to the Long Beach Public Library.
(R) Chas. C. Reed shows the Library at its best.
But wait, there's more!
Photos by the author, taken and copyright 2015
(L) View taken from the park across the street. I have no better luck with trees.
(R) The Annex, cleverly redesigned to blend.
Oculus magnificus!
(L) This library lacks a dome, but the stained glass skylight more than makes up for it.
(R) The beautiful, Arts and Crafts style dedication plaque is in the interior, beneath the oculus.
Even a large portion of Lincoln Public Library's stacks are original.
The bulletin board at right has the New York Times Best Sellers List. There is a comfortable Stickley-style chair beneath.
Litchfield
(L) Card postmarked 1910 was produced by the Art Mfg. Co. of Amelia, Ohio. This is one of the nicer hand coloring jobs in my collection.
(R) Indiana News card.
1904 Carnegie grant. Still in use.
Paul O. Moratz installed an iffy concert hall on the second floor. If Andrew Carnegie gave the thumbs up to a bowling alley in a Pennsylvania library, why would the concert hall have been so questionable?
An extra attraction to Litchfield is that it's another Route 66 town, as is Lincoln. That and a Carnegie building: what more can you want?
I don't know either the photographer of the publisher of this card, but the handwriting on the caption resembles that on my newly acquired Waverly postcard.
