Civic Pride in a Lost America: Library Postcards
Pennsylvania Libraries
Cities N-Z
This section includes the Children's Department, and the main library of Philadelphia, but not its many Carnegie branches.
Nanticoke (Mill Memorial Library)
Per the Mebane Greeting Card Company, this was built in 1957-1958. Said card was mailed in 19634, according to its postmark.
The Library is still in use.
New Castle
(L) Curt Teich linen-finish card.
New Castle Free Public Library, founded 1910, moved into this building in 1910. Owned and operated by City of New Castle. The Library has 52,600 books.
(R) 1959 Curt Teich 'Curteichcolor' card, warts and all.
Carnegie offered the city a grant, but it was protested. I don't know the fate of this building.
New Milford (Pratt Memorial Library)
I guess this is an example of doing it yourself to do it right. This was built in 1903 by Charles Pratt to memorialize his parents. Until 1922, the family maintained it in a whole new spin on the concept of a family business. At that point the family deeded the library property to the newly chartered Pratt Memorial Library Association.
The Library is not part of the Susquehanna County Library System. Occasionally, either the very large libraries or the very small libraries opt out of consortia.
North East (McCord Memorial Library)
Another unaffiliated library.
The library building is still in use, and looks to have been maintained well. Chicagoan John McCord bequeathed the money in 1913 to build his hometown library. It was expanded in 1975 and 1992. The town's economy seems to be (according to Wikipedia) based on the grape industry and historically, cherry growing.
The Curt Teich card has a 1948 date code, but also bears an 'N', denoting a reprint. Perhaps this was redone when linen finishes lost their appeal?
Northumberland
I have no idea which building is the library, but isn't the road signage great?
That would probably be airbrushed out on a Teich card.
This comes from the Mebane Greeting Card Company of Wilkes-Barre.
This is a common card, and I haven't seen one featuring only the library building.
Philadelphia (Parkway Central)
(L) 1936 Curt Teich postcard.
(R) 1933 Curt Teich card, printed for Unico.
The main building of the Free Library of Philadelphia was not funded by Andrew Carnegie. It was built in 1927.
Did you know that one of its architects was African-American? Julian Abele and Horace Trumbauer designed the building. The diverse buildings planned by the Trumbauer firm include the Pere Marquette Hotel, in Peoria, Illinois.
Children's Department
This distinct service was located at 1233 Locust Street, which appears to have been demolished. It is now located within the Parkway Central Library.
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The Albertype postcard is part of a series. Many of the Carnegie branches are in my collection.
Pocono Pines (Clymer Library)
Caption:
The Clymer Library, Lutherland, Pocono Pines, Pa.
It's difficult to tell if the Library is still in this building, or another bungalow.
The history of Lutherland came from Thrivent's Lutherans Online site, page no longer extant. However, the Tobyhanna Township's historical association has a page with complete history.
Portage
The newest card in my collection. Thank you, Lynn!
The beloved library is still in use.
Scranton (Albright Memorial Library)
Printed for C.E. Woolworth, in Germany.
Entryway, captured on a postcard printed in Germany.
It claims to be published by S.N. Co., but it resembles a Curt Teich product.
Addressed to a librarian in Warner, NH.
Still in use: part of the Lackawanna County Library System.
The 1893 building, by Green & Wicks, is considered Renaissance Revival.
Shippensburg
No, it wasn't sleeting when the Lincoln Publishers came to town.
Apparently this building is still in use as part of the Cumberland County Library System.
Titusville (Benson Memorial Library)
(L) Captioned:
'Womans Club Library
Titusville, Pa.'
(R) Beautiful handcolored Rotograph card, copyright 1905 and mailed in 1909.
Built in 1904 and still in use.
Byron Benson was one of the area's independent oil men, but was not involved in the pioneering 1859 oil strike.
Tionesta (Sarah Stewart Bovard Memorial Library)
Today this is part of the Seneca Library District, which serves five counties, an immense area. It appears from their page that the building is heavily remodeled.
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Modern-Ad published this Natural Color Card, photographed by Richard C. Millard.
Towanda
The 1897 library, donated by Frank Welles, was built in Flemish Renaissance architecture. It has a 1951 addition from Carl V.S. Anderson.
As I'm uncertain of the age of this 'Silvercraft' Dexter Press postcard, I don't know if the addition is visible here.
Warren
Built in 1915; expanded in 1962. Still in use. Inspirational quotes were carved in the panels above the Roman columns.
(L) Tichnor Bros. postcard.
(R) Dexter Press card, mailed in 1946, captioned:
Conewango Club and Public Library
Market Street Warren, Pa.
Wayne (Radnor Memorial Library)
Founded in 1809. At first, the Librarian wasn't allowed to read any of the 17 book collection. The general public wasn't allowed access to the collection until 1940, according to the Library's history page. This begs several questions. Did a Romanesque building suddenly become available? Was a private library there all along? Was this the Radnor home?
Anyway, it was expanded in 1946, 1963, and 1977, when the "new' library was built.
This is a Tecraft postcard, mailed in 1953. I'd presume it showed the 1946 iteration, but I could be wrong.
Wellsboro (Green Free Library)
Although Charles Green founded the Library, Mary B. Robinson bequeathed her family home to house the collection in the 1910s. The 1855 building has been in use--with a 1969 addition--ever since.
(L) 1921 Curt Teich postcard.
(R) Tichnor Brothers linen finish postcard.
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West Chester
1888 T. Roney Williamson building, constructed to house the Library, which began in 1872.
Renovated in 2005: still in use.
The Tichnor Quality View was mailed in 1936.
Wilkes-Barre (Osterhout Free Library)
An interesting library history.
Evidently the Library wound up inside a former church because in 1887, Melvil Dewey himself recommended it as temporary (10 years) quarters. Hurricane Agnes (1972) nearly booted the library into newer quarters. After a 1999 renovation, here it is.
Is Melvil smirking, or spinning, in his grave?
Williamsport (James V. Brown Library)
Brown.
James Brown.
James VanDuzee Brown.
Brown leather postcard, in pristine condition.
(L) Card mailed 1908.
(R) Attractive linen-finish card produced for the Mebane Greeting Card Company of Wilkes-Barre.
The Library addition was built in 1939, essentially dating the picture to immediately pre-war.
Wyalusing
This exceptionally fireproofed (by Albert Tipp) building was given in 1902 by Francis R. Welles. It was expanded in 1991.
R.J. Hallock card, printed in Germany. Mailed in 1907.
Wyomissing
Pleasant red brick library which is still in use. Amusingly, it's located on Reading Boulevard.
Card by Berkshire News of Reading.
York (Martin Memorial Library)
Still in use. However, the history comes from the York Square Blog, not the library's web site.Original funding came from the estate of Milton D. Martin, died in 1912. His endowment was invested and used in the mid-1930s to build York's library. Renovated in 2005.
(L) 1945 linen finish postcard by Curt Teich.
(R) STEL-MAR brand postcard.
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