Early History of the Bedford Public Library
The following is transcribed from History of Lawrence and Monroe Counties, Indiana : Their People, Industries, and Institutions, which is in the public domain, authored by B.F. Bowen and Company Publisher in 1914.
"While the present city library is really a county institution from the fact that the people of the county are taxed a small amount annually for its support, yet it is styled a city library. Its history runs back many years as a city or town library.
Long before the great iron master, Andrew Carnegie, won fame at the steel works in Pittsburg[h] and amassed his fortune, Bedford had a public library. In the organization of the various counties in this state, very wisely the lawmakers set apart ten percent of the sales of the county seat town lots for the establishment of a county library. As the proceeds in this county were considerable, the library was placed on a firm footing at a very early day in the history of the town and county. The books kept in this library were read and reread many times by several generations who had grown up in Lawrence county. The first books were purchased in 1819, and were kept in the court house by John Lowrey, county clerk, and consisted of about one hundred volumes of standard books of that period. Author’s note: John Lowrey’s burial information. By February, 1823, the library fund had amounted to about seven hundred and fifty dollars, a great portion of which was placed out on interest. In 1821 a neat book case was made and placed in the northeast room of the old court house at Palestine, the old seat of justice of this county. Nearly every old pioneer had been a member of the board of trustees for this library. In 1840 there were five hundred volumes of books. In 1824 the fund was nine hundred dollars, and reached at one time about twelve hundred dollars. About half this sum was used and the remainder was loaned out. At one time the library owned a lot in town, which was finally sold. In 1895 the permanent fund amounted to two thousand dollars and the books were being kept in the county recorder's office at Bedford.
In 1856 the state furnished the county with eight township libraries, distributed in proportion to the population. Each library composed three hundred volumes of general matter. But few of these survived more than twenty-five years.
Late in the fifties the McClure libraries were received, two or three in the county, but after six years the design of the benevolent testator was carelessly thwarted by the distribution of the books, to individual members, or in cases actually sold at auction.
But to return to the public library at Bedford, properly speaking, it should be said that the books were finally removed from the court house and taken to the old Baptist church building, near the present federal building on Fourteenth street, and there the library was kept until its removal, about 1902, to the present public library, the building of which was the gift of Andrew Carnegie, and the lot donated by the city. This fine stone structure cost twenty thousand dollars and now has about eleven thousand volumes on its shelves. A board of trustees, holding life-time terms, has charge of the library, which faces the new United States building, the post office on K street. The librarian is Georgia Friedley, who has been in charge since the removal to the new building.” Author’s note: Georgia Friedley’s burial information.
The below article, in the public domain, is taken from the April 10, 1903 issue of The Bedford Weekly Mail about the Bedford Public Library's Carnegie building opening.
A story about the opening of the Bedford Public Library's Carnegie building.
