Picture from the Past
Andrew Carnegie donated
town library's predecessor
By John S. Baggerly
By paying a lowly $4.14 in back taxes owed by a Los Gatos man to Santa Clara County, the town of Los Gatos acquired a lot large enough on which to accept a library donated by Andrew Carnegie.
That lot stood not far from the corner of University Avenue and W. Main Street. Today, the site of the former Carnegie Library is part of the parking lot of St. Luke's Episcopal Church.
On the north side of St. Luke's was the old Los Gatos Grammar School, which made it easy for students of all ages to use the Carnegie Library. Well into the past century, various old-timers spoke of going to the Carnegie Library after school to read. These people did not add that reading at the library was better than going home to their chores.
According to The Golden Home and High School Encyclopedia, Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) was a U. S. capitalist and philanthropist born in Dunfirmline, Scotland. His father came to the United States when his sons were children and settled in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Andrew was first employed by a cotton factory. He later became a telegraph messenger, then an operator and, finally, a superintendent. When oil was discovered in Pennsylvania, he invested his money in oil lands and made the beginning of his fortune.
As a philanthropist, Carnegie founded libraries, museums, schools and other institutions in the United States and Europe. By 1915, he had given away more than $300 million. The largest single gift was $24 million for the creation of the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh.
In corresponding with the Carnegie people, Los Gatans learned that a lot had to be purchased. That was done and a citizens' committee was formed. The Carnegie Foundation agreed to give $10,000 toward the building on condition that the town pay at least $1,000 per year for upkeep. After bids were requested, a contract was let on Aug. 14, 1902, at a cost of $9,411.
The new library opened on Sept. 25, 1903, with Miss Bessie Cooper serving as librarian. Now to fill the library with books! Civic groups sponsored fundraisers for the purchase of books and the Los Gatos History Club sponsored a lecture on May 24, 1903, by a Professor H. Morse Stephens. An all-male choir also put on a concert.
The History of Los Gatos author George G. Bruntz's account of the library purchasing and stocking continues:
"An interesting sidelight on the library is that in 1910 the Library Board cut out the comic sections of the daily and Sunday newspapers. They did not want to corrupt the minds of young people."
Deemed vulnerable to earthquakes, the Carnegie Library was condemned and was later relocated on the north side of Main Street before moving across the street to the Civic Center where it became the forerunner of the Town Library. These days, newspaper "funnies" are not censored.
|
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
