Linton Public Library
History
The first library in Linton was located on the second floor of Wolford’s Department Store, which was later G. C. Murphy Company and is now the Linton Variety Store. The building is located on 15 East Vincennes Street. This library contained only 75 books and was started by the Bay View Library Club. Lillian Wolford, whose family owned the department store, was president of the club and was active in getting the library started.
At the turn of the century, Linton was a mining town and its population was growing every day. The citizens decided that a library was a definite need of the city. The library board members were appointed in 1902. The members were David Terhune, Dr. C. T. Sherwood, Mrs. Joe Moss, Lillian Wolford, Mrs. B. A. Rose, and Job Freeman. A letter, dated January 28, 1902, along with a petition of 24 signatures was sent to the Andrew Carnegie Corporation. It stated that many boys and girls were not able to attend school because they had to spend their days helping their families by working. The letter stated that these young people had free time in the evenings, which could be spent at the public library instead of "unsuitable places" of amusement. After pleading their case with Carnegie, their request for a new library was granted on December 24, 1907. Andrew Carnegie agreed to spend $15,000 on the new library, and the community agreed to support the library with tax money.
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Moss donated a 60 by 132-foot lot, located at 110 East Vincennes Street, for the building of the library. The library was completed on March 14, 1909. When the library opened, it had only 150 books.
Some of the librarians include Grace Burton, Zeta Carr, Maggie McGauhy, Adrian Humphreys, Margaret Cooper, Emily Cooper-Bunyan, Jill Goodman, and Ann Wright-Gainey. After Margaret Cooper retired, the library was renamed the Margaret Cooper Library in her honor for the many years of dedicated service to the library and community.
The Margaret Cooper Library was the biggest library in Greene County until the Bloomfield-Eastern Greene County Public Library in Bloomfield was renovated in 1995. The library is a brick structure with two floors. The bottom floor contains all reference materials: adult and young adult books, magazines, videos, and computers. The second floor has the children’s area with a book section as well as a toy area. This floor also has the Phil Harris-Alice Faye Collection.
The library has changed little in its 75 years. Carnegie Libraries by George Bobinski, stated that many Carnegie buildings have been torn down and/or extensively renovated with wings being added to the original buildings as the libraries grew. No wings have been added nor any other major renovation has been done to the Linton Public Library.
In fact, the only remodeling done to the building was a section of the top floor, which was converted into a children’s department. The building was rewired in 1985, and a new sidewalk was poured. In 1987 the bricks on the exterior were tuckpointed and the trim was painted. The yard surrounding the library was landscaped. Recently, the children’s area on the top floor and the downstairs hallway were painted. Other than maintenance and upkeep to the building, nothing has basically changed since it was built.
However, a great deal of changes has been made as to what the library has to offer to the public. Instead of the card catalog being on paper in a file, it is now on the computer for easier access. The library has four computers that allow the public to use the Internet. They also have thousands of books to check out, excellent videos that can be borrowed, and books on tape.
This information was used with permission from the Linton-Stockton School Corporation.
