Allentown Public Library
Allentown Public Library is a public library in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. It was first established at 914 Hamilton Street in 1912, and was later relocated to 1210 Hamilton Street in 1978. It consists of a single location as the headquarters. The library previously had a Northeast Branch, an East Branch, and a South Branch.
The library includes a local history room and an acrylic portrait of Raphael's The School of Athens by Paul Harryn.
History
19th century
Allentown first had an "English Language Circulating Library" in 1810, located in the house of Colonel George Rhoads. Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Chandler, of the Fratres Literarum, formed the F. L. Library at the Allentown Academy in 1853. After the Fratres Literarium disbanded, taxidermist Fritz Warner founded the Academy of Natural Science, Art, and Literature and inherited the contents of the F.L. Library. On New Year's Eve 1874, Warner attended a colonial-themed fundraiser held by Mary Lewis. Mary was the wife of Samuel B. Lewis, who worked in the iron industry. After Warner's taxidermy business failed, the Odd Fellows fraternal order kept the collection in the Breinig & Bachman building at 6th and Hamilton streets. In 1893, nearly all these books were lost in a fire.Girls' Reading Room
The Girls' Reading Room Association held monthly meetings at the Girls' Parlor, at 639 Hamilton Street, in the late 1800s, at the same location where Woman's Christian Temperance Union meetings were held. The Girls' Reading Room celebrated its 8th anniversary in 1895, with Mrs. Yeager presiding. The room had 334 books at the time.On September 5, 1895, the Allentown Leader published an article, asking, "While we're on the new library subject, what has become of the efforts made by the Women's League and other organizations in times past?" It suggested spending $1000 on an "experimental library", which would be the "humble beginning of a public library that some day Allentown might be thoroughly proud of." In response to this request, the paper printed a letter to the editor on September 7, which read, "I must make a plea for the Girls' Reading Room Association, seeing that you are advocating a free library." The letter referred to this association as a potential "nucleus" for a public library, and noted that "so far no endowments have ever been dreamed of by the workers, who, by the way, give their labor free." A second letter, printed on the same page, praised the Girls' Reading Room library and suggested that the library advertise itself better to the city. "If it were well understood, which we don't believe it is, that here were some shelves full of books that were free to the public, or a portion of it, and that the shelves contained such books as girls and young women delight to read...we believe the patronage and appreciation of these good women's work would be far more widespread than it is now, and that the enlargement of the library and the work would be more speedy," the letter read.
In response to these letters, the president of the Girls' Reading Room wrote a clarifying letter to the editor, calling the previous letters "misleading" and stating that the purpose of the Girls' Reading Room was to provide "a place where the working girls and working women of our city could find pleasant associations and rest after the day's toil, and where...they would be inspired to lead pure and useful lives." The President insisted that the Girls' Reading Room could never "form the foundation of Allentown's future public library."
In January 1896, the Allentown Leader observed that Allentown was not making progress in starting a public library, and claimed that the school board had authority to levy a tax in order to gather "a good collection of books for public use at very trifling cost to taxpayers." In 1898, WCTU announced that it would convert the Girls' Parlor and Reading Room into a Young Woman's Christian Association.
Women's League
In 1890, a number of women formed the "Women's League" of Allentown, "for the purpose of self-improvement and to take up such work as might be of public benefit." The Women's League began to hold a Kalendar Fest, or "Kirmess", in order to secure funds to establish "the nucleus of a public library in the near future." The first such entertainment was an operetta called "Voices of Nature" by Mrs. E. B. Byington, on February 7, 1891. The Women's League then presented a series of entertainments entitled "The Kirmess" in Lehigh Valley Hall, from May 26 to June 2, 1891. This series consisted of dances, plays, operas, and tableaux, and raised $1200. Mary Lewis, then president of the Women's League, led a committee to begin a library at the Allentown Oratorio Society, located at 37–39 S. 7th Street. In 1898 the Women's League, by then renamed the Women's Literary Society, invited "Academy pupils" and "friends of the library work" to attend a series of exercises at the Oratorio Society on June 2. These exercises consisted of music arranged by Mrs. S. J. Brobst, addresses made by R. E. Wright, Esq. and Dr. G. T. Ettinger, singing by a select chorus, and a "novel feature in the form of a book charade."In August 1898, Allentown Public Library at 37 S. 7th Street opened to the public, every Thursday and Saturday. Annual dues were "$3 a year or 25 cents a month." The librarian was Mrs. Joseph Schreiber, the assistant was Miss Clara Kistler, and the collection had "between 700 and 800 volumes." The library consisted of two rooms on the second floor of the building, "the one in the rear being the library proper, while the one facing 7th Street is the reading room. The latter is large, comfortable and well lighted, being in every sense an ideal place for an hour or two of quiet reading or research." In January 1904, the library on S. 7th Street had 1406 volumes, 95 subscribers, and reported a total of 3899 checkouts in 1903. In 1907, the staff was "composed of Miss Sara Deifer, Librarian; Parke Sherer assistant Librarian and Miss Jeanie Weaber Emergency Librarian."
Main Branch (1912–1978)
Planning and funding
In 1907, Mrs. Blanche Travena, nee Phifer, the acknowledged "prime moving spirit of the M. U. M. Circle," asked Mrs. Samuel B. Lewis for a suggestion for a use of the Circle's surplus funds. Mrs. Lewis, then president of the Women's League, suggested working for the Allentown Free Library. This led to the M. U. M. eventually purchasing a property on Hamilton Street.In 1907, the property on 914 Hamilton Street in Allentown was withdrawn from a bid of $10,600. The estate on the property was a house belonging to Charles Nagle and Anna D. Nagle. In July 1908, M. U. M. Circle commissioned the architect L. S. Jacoby to begin plans for the construction of a public library on 914 Hamilton Street. Later in July, the property at 914 Hamilton was transferred from Charles H. Nagle to Beulah G. Phifer for $15,000, and then transferred to the Allentown Free Library Association for the same amount.
In September 1908, M.U.M. Circle gave a contract to erect the Allentown Public Library at 914 Hamilton Street, to O. C. Donecker for $8200. The architects were listed as "Jacoby & Weishampel." In 1908, Building Inspector Frank R. Minner issued a building permit to O. C. Donecker, "for the Public Library building, 29 by 73 feet, three stories high, at 914 Hamilton Street."
In 1910, The Allentown Democrat expressed dismay that in the "library building on Hamilton street, west of Ninth," the rooms were "barren of shelves and books" and the newspaper desired to see this building "properly equipped." The Democrat publicly "expressed a willingness to contribute one hundred dollars toward this worthy object." The Allentown "Footlight Club" put on a performance that same year "for the benefit of the public library fund." On January 26, 1911, an "unusual array of speakers" addressed the public at a meeting at the Lyric Theater, "in the interest of the public library movement." These speakers included Thomas Lynch Montgomery, the state librarian of Harrisburg, President J. A. W. Haas of Muhlenberg College, President W. F. Curtis of the Allentown College for Women, and Mayor Charles O. Hunsicker. At the meeting, the committee in charge of the public library reported that they had solicited funds for the library "amounting to $1500." Mayor Hunsicker told the audience, "The City of Allentown is exceptionally fortunate. The religious and educational advantages afforded are splendid. But we need a public library." In January 1912, the Chamber of Commerce moved to a section of the building on 914 Hamilton Street.
Campaign to pay debt
On February 23, 1912, Allentown Public Library collection was moved from the Oratorio Society on 7th Street to "its permanent new home in the fine Allentown Public Library building at 914 Hamilton St., where it will be conducted as a subscription library until the management can secure a regular appropriation that will make it possible for the library to be entirely free to the citizens of Allentown." The library held nearly three thousand volumes at the time. Dr. George T. Ettinger, President of the Allentown Public Library Association, reported that he received "letters and verbal assurances from all classes of our citizens" that signified that wanted to contribute to this cause, "not only to liquidate the indebtedness on the property at No. 914 Hamilton street, but also to provide a fund for equipment and additional books."The advisory board of Allentown public schools reviewed the plans for the "debt clearing campaign" for the new public library on March 1, 1912. The board "unanimously voted to give every pupil in the public schools an opportunity to assist in the movement by contribution toward it," in the form of coin envelopes. It was noted that, at the time, the "Allentown Public Library" was a "corporation chartered by the commonwealth and belongs to the people. The library association of which Dr. Geo. T. Ettinger is the president, is in absolute control of the institution. As soon as the money is raised for the paying of the debts now resting on it, as well as the necessary funds for the equipment and necessary running expenses, it will cease to be a subscription library and become absolutely free for all the people."
On March 18, the Allentown Democrat reported that donations had added up to $12,241, which liquidated "all debts against the Allentown Free Library." The following day, the amount was amended to $12,757. Professor William H. Rees donated a copy of the Century Dictionary to the library.
In November 1912, the original mortgage was finally settled, and the building was officially freed from debt. According to the article, "The librarian shall have charge and superintendence of the building and property of the library and of all the books and other property contained in them, and shall be responsible for the exercise of due care for the safety thereof." Though the article does not name the librarian, it does mention a "Miss Lewis" who would receive visitors in the library.