Jacob Uhrig was a young boy when
the St. Louis Public library became a free library. On June 2, 1894, at 9 a.m., Jacob waited
patiently for his name to be called to receive his library card. When his name was called, he immediately
asked for a book, The Conquest of Mexico
by William Prescott. This request would
be the first book issued by the Free Library.
Jacob's love for books and the library would grow stronger through the
years, and allow him to endure the horrors of a Japanese prison camp during
World War II. As Marie Stanton recalls
in her 1949 meeting with the now Colonel Uhrig, he was able to tell her more
about the people and buildings the library had occupied over the years with
pride and warmth. Stanton states that
when recalling the library, Uhrig considered the library his Alma mater and his
pride at being the first person to take a book from the Free Library was
evident throughout their discussions. (Compton 176-177). The St. Louis Public Library system was not
the first public library in St. Louis, but it has endured nearly one hundred
and twenty years as one of the top municipal libraries in the country. SLPL began, as many other large city
branches, as a subscription library with a humble collection and limited
space. It was only through the tenacity
of librarians such as Frederick Crunden and John J. Bailey, Ira Divoll, Superintendent
of the St. Louis Public schools, political figures, and the public, was SLPL
able to become a free public library.
The work of SLPL and its staff attracted the attention of famed nineteenth
century philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, whose generous donation allowed SLPL to
expand and thrive. The crown jewel of
SLPL during this time period, was the building of the Central branch, an
impressive and architecturally beautiful space that would provide years of
service and beauty to the system and the profession.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Bibliography
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St. Louis In Context: 1850's
As the nineteenth century drew to a
close, St. Louis would rise to become the nation's fourth largest city. As a major city in Missouri, St. Louis had a
significant slave population, by 1850 there were 2,656 slaves, 1,398 free
blacks, all while the total population for the city was 77,860 (Ravenswaay
394). The wealth and power of the free
blacks within the black community was a sharp contrast to the lives of those
still within the bounds of slavery. At
this time a large influx of German, Irish and other European immigrants was
flooding the labor market of St. Louis.
Soon the slave market was exceeding the labor needs of the city,
allowing St. Louis to rise as a major slave market. However those running the markets were faced
with public disgust and became social outcasts (401). There were legal avenues that slaves were
able to pursue to purchase their freedom and win it in court leading to the
defining Dredd Scott case. The Scott
case gained national attention as it exemplified the bitter disputes about
slavery that were dividing the country. The
1850's was a time of uncertainty and change for St. Louisans, who began to
rebuild after a devastating 1849 fire.
The commercial centers were rebuilt, and new elegant buildings and
streets were emerging from the ashes (412). As the economy grew, so did the city
limits. The city's main economic draw
was its booming industry and as a major port on the Mississippi River, the very
heart of trade through the country.
Immigrant populations continued to grow in great numbers as German,
Irish, Italian, Bohemian, and other European settlers made their home in the
city. This allowed the city to develop
unique communities and social circles revolving around connecting fellow
immigrants together and keeping the culture alive in their new homeland.
St. Louis In Context: Economy
St. Louis' strategic placement next to the Mississippi River offered it unique access to the major cities of the late nineteenth century, New York and San Francisco, Chicago and New Orleans Due to it's status as a major hub of transportation and economy, there was a movement to move the capital of the nation from Washington D.C. to St. Louis. Governors and delegates met at the Mercantile Library, and was set on
urging Congress to move the capital.
However, the plan drew little support and eventually its main supporter,
Logan Reavis, became an object of ridicule (Primm 274-275). Reavis did publish a book extolling the many
commercial virtues of St. Louis, which was popular in many European markets but
did not convince many at home that St. Louis was the hub of the nation. Its popularity in Europe, especially Germany,
is thought to have led more immigrants to settle in St. Louis over other
American cities (276). Chicago was
St. Louis' greatest economic rival during the reconstruction era after the
Civil War. Eastern states had better
connections with Chicago, allowing it to benefit from the boom in the
North. During the war, a Confederate
blockade that stood until 1863 restricted access to foreign markets through the
Mississippi. After the Civil War, the
South, which was St. Louis' main outlet, was left decimated, pushing St. Louis
further from its goals of overtaking Chicago (276). Though the river remained an significant
part of transportation for goods and people in St. Louis, railroads were
growing and expanding as the settlement of the Midwest and West grew
exponentially. As the railroads expanded
into the neighboring countryside, suburban towns grew along their tracks, like
Kirkwood Station and Webster Groves (Ravenswaay 435). Trade along rail, especially the growing
Southern cotton trade, allowed St. Louis to reclaim its status as a significant
economic player. Chicago and St. Louis
continued their economic rivalry after the Civil War when Chicago attempted to
block attempts by St. Louis to build rail bridges across the Mississippi. Bridges were successfully built for Eastern
lines running to Chicago from Iowa, northern Missouri, and Illinois, and later
in Kansas City, Omaha and St. Charles.
In January 1867, Illinois legislators passed a bill that restricted
280-discussion of building bridges, St. Louis business men, including James
Eads and Edgar Ames, were able to negotiate with the company to build a bridge
from St. Louis to East St. Louis. After
years of planning, building, set-backs, both political and structural, Eads
Bridge was open to testing on May 24, 1874, and formally opened to ravel and
the public on July 4, 1874 (288-289).
By the turn of the century, twenty-two railroads converged on St. Louis,
more than anywhere else in the country, Chicago still led in volume of traffic
(297).
St. Louis In-Context: Public School System
The public education system in St.
Louis began in 1838 with two elementary schools. The classes were divided between genders, and
the children were taught the basics such as reading, writing, arithmetic, and
geography. Although the middle class
was initially weary of public education, the establishment of the first high
school in 1855 gave the system the prestige it needed to continue its
mission. The Civil War forced the school
board to adopt fees for attendance after their funding was funneled towards the
militia. However in 1865-1864, the
school's funding was restored and eventually came to rely on income from
property taxes, fees were eliminated, and attendance jumped back up to nearly
14,000. Black children were unable to
attend the schools in this new public system.
In 1864, the Board of Education for Colored Schools was formed by
prominent whites and blacks to provide free education to black children. Initially, these schools lacked public
funding and relied on generous donations by private citizens and businesses to
stay afloat. The 1865 Radical
Constitution required school boards to support black education, to which the
St. Louis school board quickly complied by appropriated five hundred dollars of
its budget to the Colored Board. Despite
these efforts, by 1875 schools in black districts were generally in poor
condition, frequently relocated, and district lines appeared to be drawn
randomly, forcing many students to walk longer distances past white
schools. Teachers were paid much less to
work in these schools, and the complaints of parents went unheard. Ironically, whites were hostile about these
new districts because of these conditions, stating that tax payer money was
being wasted on poor and ineffective schools (Primm 315-18). 1872 saw the rise of the
kindergarten movement in St. Louis' public schools, thanks to the efforts of William
Torrey Harris, superintendent of schools from 1868-1880. Harris believed that children were losing the
ability to be educated between the ages of three and five, especially those in
working class families. He encouraged
Susan Blow to study with Maria Krus-Bolte, a leader in kindergarten education
in New York. Upon her return they began designing kindergarten programs, which
included lessons on self-control, virtue, and punctuality, keeping in mind the
difficult transition children face coming from the home into the routines of
school. In 1878, kindergarten, despite
criticism of its German roots and expense, was made a part of regular school by
the board. In 1880 and 1881,
kindergarten programs were in all sections of the city, serving white and black,
the rich and the poor. By 1900, there were almost two hundred thousand students
enrolled in kindergarten (324-325).
St. Louis In Context: The Louisiana Exposition of 1904
Seeking to eclipse the grand Colombian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago, St. Louis sought to host its own
exposition and fair. In January 1899,
delegates from the territories and states that were purchased in the Louisiana
Purchase, met and chose to host their exposition in St. Louis instead of New
Orleans. Through private citizen
subscription, corporate donations, and a matching pledge by Congress, $15
million, the same amount the land was purchased for from Napoleon, was raised
to begin planning and construction (Primm 375).
In order to accommodate the expected hundreds of thousands of visitors,
hotels were built, Forest Park was expanded and land was leased from Washington University public transportation was expanded and streetcar lines were added,
water purification projects were begun, streets were improved, and the city and
citizens were asked to clean-up (378-380). Large design and construction teams were
brought in to create white palaces, plazas, exhibition buildings, entrances,
arches, sculptures, gardens and everything else needed to surpass the grandeur
of Chicago's exposition (83). The fairgrounds were ceremonially dedicated
on April 30, May 1, and May 2, 1903, at which President Theodore Roosevelt gave
the dedication speech (385). On
April 30, 1904, the fair grounds were opened and thousands poured in to see the
wonders of science, industry and culture.
Forty-three countries had their own exhibit buildings, and each
displayed new advances in technology and industry. Each state and territory had its own
pavilion, the largest and most elaborate being Missouri's. The fair was a great success, surpassing
Chicago's fair in quality of exhibitions and ended with a final attendance of
nearly twenty million. (391). The decade following the fair, saw yet
another economic and population boom for St. Louis, having proven itself on the
national stage as a city worthy of investment.
St. Louis In Context: Population and Culture
As the nineteenth century drew to a
close, St. Louis would rise to become the nation's fourth largest city. As a major city in Missouri, St. Louis had a
significant slave population, by 1850 there were 2,656 slaves and 1,398 free
blacks. The total population for the
city was 77,860 (Ravenswaay 394). The
wealth and power of the free blacks within the black community was a sharp
contrast to the lives of those still within the bounds of slavery. At this time a large influx of German, Irish
and other European immigrants was flooding the labor market of St. Louis. Soon the slave market was exceeding the labor
needs of the city, allowing St. Louis to rise as a major slave market. However those running the markets were faced
with public disgust and became social outcasts (401). There were legal avenues that slaves were
able to pursue to purchase their freedom and win it in court leading to the
defining Dredd Scott case. The Scott
case gained national attention as it exemplified the bitter disputes about
slavery that were dividing the country. The
1850’s were a time of uncertainty and change for St. Louisans, who began to
rebuild after a devastating 1849 fire.
The commercial centers were rebuilt, and new elegant buildings and
streets were emerging from the ashes (412). As the economy grew, so did the city
limits. The city's main economic draw
was its booming industry and as a major port on the Mississippi River, the very
heart of trade through the country.
Immigrant populations continued to grow in great numbers as German,
Irish, Italian, Bohemian, and other European settlers made their home in the
city. This allowed the city to develop
unique communities and social circles revolving around connecting fellow
immigrants together and keeping the culture alive in their new homeland
In
the late 1850's Henry Shaw had built and opened Shaw's Garden park free to the
public, hoping to emulate the great country gardens of Europe (Ravenswaay 439). In 1868, Shaw gave the city 190 acres of
land, which later grew to 277 acres, and named the area Tower Grove Park. He
leased a strip two hundred feet wide to the city, and used the income to
support the Botanical Gardens (Primm 306).
In 1872, St. Louis purchased over one thousand acres to build a new
public park. Although approved by the
legislature, this purchase was doggedly challenged by a group of taxpayers. However, the land purchase was eventually
settled and the owners of the land C.P. Chouteau, Julia Maffitt, William
Forsyth, Thomas Skinker, and others allowed the city to purchase their land for
$799,995. Forest Park was officially
dedicated in 1876, and by the 1890s the park experienced over three million
visitors a year. During this time Forest
Park incorporated the zoological park that was previously located on popular
fairgrounds (306-307). St. Louis'
social and cultural scene was also coming into its own with the opening of
elegant theaters and stops from well-know entertainers like Jenny Lind and Tom
Thumb (Ravenswaay 444-445). By 1876, St. Louis had
not only experienced a population boom, but was expanding quickly beyond its
city limits. The city now covered 61.37
square miles and stretched along the Mississippi for 19 miles (307). By 1900, the population of St. Louis
continued to grow to 575,238, ranking again as the fourth largest city in the
nation. Its industries, manufacturing
and commercial economies continued to experience growth and prestige, despite
the fact that Chicago was a larger railroad hub.
Public Library Society's Evolution
These are the times in which St.
Louis Public Library is born into, a time of great prosperity and national
significance. It is no wonder Andrew
Carnegie chose to bestow a generous library grant to St. Louis. The Central branch of the St. Louis Public
Library had humble beginnings as a subscription library for the St. Louis
Public School. It was known then as the
Public School Library Society. Ira
Divoll, the Superintendent of Schools, believed that there was a need for
supplemental free reading materials for the new public school. His first attempt to set up the library was
in 1860, but as the Civil War began he was unable to gain funding for this
project (Van Ausdal 5). In 1865, a
charter was approved by the Missouri legislature that allowed Divoll and
private citizens to establish a public school library and lyceum. Although the school board was not required to
provide space for the library, they were able to use shelving in the school
board session room in the Darby building to house a collection, which by
December 1865, had grown to over three thousand books. In December they were able to lease another
room in the building, and formally opened the reading room and stacks to the
public (7). The library was intended
for use by the entire community, but was initially viewed as a children’s
library due to the large number of juvenile materials. The efforts to enroll children were mainly
headed by John J. Bailey, whose story times were described as spellbinding and
unforgettable (7). As the
library grew out of its space with an ever expanding collection, ownership of
the library was transferred to the school board in April 1869. This transfer allowed the library to move
into the second floor Polytechnic Building, where it had better lighting and
more space to continue growing. The
profession of librarianship was also growing in this era, the American Library
Association was formed, the government was issuing special reports on the profession,
and a professional journal was being published.
Bailey, who became head librarian in 1865, was restricted and criticized
by the school board for his professional decisions. He was also insistent that the board begin
collecting novels, which it found to be in poor taste despite public interest
(8). These disagreements
eventually led to Bailey’s dismissal, allowing Frederick Crunden’s era to
begin.
Frederick
Crunden had little library background when he accepted the position of
director, however he would remain one of the most important director’s in the
history of the library. Crunden’s first
years as director were initially met with criticism that he catered only to the
rich, and was told to generally keep out of school board business. He was able to navigate the fine line between
answering public demands for population fiction, while reassuring the board
that these were not the only books read in the collection. The profile of the library on both local and
national levels was increased as Crunden hosted a variety of entertainment
events and exhibitions (11).
Crunden also oversaw a major renovation of the library in which the
rooms were filled with rich decoration and elegant architectural pieces, as the
library moved into the new Polytechnic Building. In an interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Crunden notes that his inspiration for the
organization of the new library space was drawn from a recent meeting of the
ALA in September, 1890. The library now
held permanent displays including specimens, paintings, drawings and sculptures
(11). The reading room became a
popular space for the entire spectrum of society. As the library had no restrictions on age,
children and young adults were frequent visitors, come to study, meet friends,
and flirt (12). The influx of
users continued to grow, as did material and service costs. In order to offset the cost of materials and
operating funds, membership fees were raised and the library board was told
that it would have to raise the budget.
In 1885, after a failed attempt the year before, the legislation passed
a bill that would allow city residents to vote on raising taxes to support the
library. The bill was not put to a vote
for taxpayers until 1893, while the library managed to fit in few expansions
and updates with their limited school board budget. The bill was passed by an overwhelming
majority: 36,235 to 6,188. What followed
was a battle of wills between Crunden and the school board, who demanded rent
and thousands for the current furniture from the new board. Crunden even shut down the library for a day,
while the board closed the elevators. Crunden was nearly dismissed, but he refused
to leave without the board proving just cause to fire him. Finally, after the infighting and bureaucratic
squabbles, the library was passed to the Free Library Board in March 1894.
Within a year of opening, the library would see its collection grow to become
the largest west of the Mississippi and would see a fourfold increase in
circulation and registration (13).
As the library became the St. Louis Public Library, it garnered national
attention, and the attention of its greatest benefactor.
St. Louis Public Library Emerges
As the twentieth century opened on
St. Louis, the city was experiencing continued growth in industry, area,
population, and stature as a major American city. Andrew Carnegie, famed philanthropist and
steel magnate, donated millions to the foundation of libraries across the
country and the globe during the late nineteenth and early twentieth
century. In 1901, Carnegie offered St.
Louis $1 million to construct a new library (St. Louis 2). Two years
earlier, Crunden wrote to Carnegie, requesting that he consider St. Louis when
deciding on his next library location.
The conditions of the donation included that half be used to construct a
central branch, the other half used to construct additional branches, and that
city provide locations free of debt and provide funding for maintenance through
a tax increase of one-fifth (“Carnegie”).
The library board decided to use its property on the corner of Locust
and Sixteenth streets to construct the new Central branch. The rest of the money was used to fund the
construction of six additional branches: Barr (1906), Cabanne (1907),
Carondelet (1908), Soulard (1910), and Divoll (1910) (St. Louis 2). Between 1884
and 1907, the future site of the Central branch was occupied by the St. Louis
Exposition and Music Hall. It was
demolished after years of serving as a popular site for autumn exposition exhibits
(Gosebrink 15). This offer was met with
joy and criticism, mainly about the sites being chosen, whether St. Louis
needed Carnegie’s charity, and the coming tax initiative. Within a year, the tax initiative was on the
ballot and passed. In 1903, the
selection of the exposition grounds was made official and sent to Carnegie for
final approval. Crunden began plans to
build a model library at the upcoming 1904 World’s Fair to show Carnegie the
plans for the Central Branch. In June
1903, Carnegie approved the plans and location for the Central and other
branches, however due to the high cost of materials construction was delayed
until after the World’s Fair. Before his
dream of a new system was realized, Crunden suffered a severe stroke in 1906
leaving him paralyzed on one side (“Overwork”).
Though Crunden continued work for at least two more years, by 1909 he
was forced to resign due to illness and would pass away in 1911. Arthur E. Bostwick, the chief of New York
Public Library’s circulation department was elected by the Library board as the
new head librarian in 1909 (“New Yorker”).
During this period
of director flux, an architect was chosen to head the Central Library Project.
Cass Gilbert, a New York architect, was chosen in 1907, from a candidate pool
of eight prestigious architecture firms (St. Louis Public Library 5). His previous works included the Art Museum
erected at the World’s Fair and the Woolworth Building in New York (Norman
514). Complaints inevitably followed the
board’s choice, the St. Louis
Post-Dispatch reports in several articles that Gilbert appeared to take too
long in finalizing and approving plans for Central Branch. As the project continued over the years,
anticipation grew about the design and size of the branch. When finished, the Central Branch cost $1.5
million, $50,000 of which was given by Carnegie (St. Louis Public Library
5). The exterior was made in the style
of early Italian Renaissance, complete with arches and columns surrounding the
building. The building was three
stories, with a grand main entrance and staircase. The exterior was also covered in inscriptions
and carvings, with the names of the zodiac, famous authors, philosophers,
scientists, and other historical figures (St. Louis Public Library 13-17). Quotes from major library figures such as
Crunden and Carnegie also decorate the outside of the building. Crunden’s inscription reads: “Recorded
thought is our chief heritage from the past, the most lasting legacy we can
leave to the future. Books are the most enduring monument of man’s
achievements. Only through books can civilization become cumulative” (19). The interior is
filled with marble staircases, grand reading rooms, and rooms of shelving for
the reference room, art room, and general stacks. The Central Branch could be considered a high
achievement in library architecture, its rich rooms and grand scale matched
only by the love of the public for its contents and mission.
The official
dedication of the Central Branch was held on January 6th, 1912, and
was attended by nearly one thousand people despite below freezing temperatures. Speakers at the dedication included President
of the Board of Directors George Carpenter, Dr. Herbert Putnam, the Librarian
of Congress, Cass Gilbert, and other important St. Louis figures. The ceremony paid homage to the hard work of
the library staff over the years, and special commendation was given to
Crunden, who had worked for so many years to provide St. Louis with a free
public library (Public Library of the City).
Once opened the Central branch had expanded its services to include new
children’s programming, art and science departments, a new music and foreign
language collection that contained 18 languages (St. Louis Public Library
2). The branch would continue to expand
over the years under Bostwick, even opening up an library training school in
1917 (3). The St. Louis Public Library
and the Central Branch has a history that reaches further back than their
inception as free public spaces in the 1890’s.
They can credit their existence to the efforts of early librarians and
school boards, dedicated private citizens and those in love with reading and
learning. The city of St. Louis was
experiencing a significant time of growth and prosperity that allowed it to
support the construction and expansion of public libraries throughout the city. Today St. Louis Public Library, Carnegie,
Crunden, and Divoll’s legacies continue through the growth of the system and
its renovations to keep the libraries moving forward with their patrons and the
country.
First Public Libraries of St. Louis
The predecessor of SLPL, was a
subscription library, the Public School Library Society, however this was not
the first attempt at establishing a public library in St. Louis. On May 13, 1818, the Reading Room and Punch
House was opened on the corner of Main and Second streets (McDermott 9). The reading room provided newspapers and
other pieces of literature, and a well-stocked bar. Through the following decades a number of
other reading rooms would be established, mainly as spaces for lively
discussion and places to indulge one's "mental appetites" (10). After a series of failed attempts at gaining
subscribers and members, many reading rooms were closed after losing financial
support and the interest of the members.
This led to the pronouncement in the Missouri
Gazette that "the plan for a 'Public Library and Reading Room' had
been abandoned" (11). It was not
until January 1824 when a letter addressed to the Citizens of St. Louis by a
mysterious author, only known as Franklin, was the fire for a more permanent
library ignited. Franklin calls his
fellow citizens to action by offering a variety of reasons to have a library
including the old adage that " knowledge is power ", libraries
provide more intellectually stimulating and character building spaces, and the
need to inform the public. He even
provides a financial plan to fund the library through donations and
subscription fees, and ends with a hopeful note that his fellow citizens will
be ready to begin meeting and starting committees to begin this great endeavor
(11-12). Franklin's letter stirred up
public opinion, and led to a meeting at the mayor's office where the St. Louis
Library Association was formed. By their
next meeting on February 9th, the committee was able to collect nearly eight
hundred books, and $38 in donations (13).
On March 8th, 1824, the directors had established and published
provisions and rules for lending, record keeping, fines, repairs, staffing,
donating, and the duties of the librarian in the Missouri Republican(13). Over the next several years, reports from
this library remained few but it persevered.
In 1832, the library had lost the interest of it stockholders, and
relied on a bold move by the Board of Directors to keep it afloat. On November 13, 1832, an announcement in the Missouri Republican stated that the
library would be opened to the public during its limited hours, and those
wishing to become members could do begin their application process (16). This brought on a flurry of new interest and
financial support, that unfortunately waned by the next year. Despite years flush with donations, new
membership, and policy changes that allowed for more liberal lending policies
involving minors, on September 25, 1839, the books and furniture of the library
were to be sold at auction to pay off any remaining debts (26). This failure prompted the Missouri Republican to denounce St.
Louisans for the humiliating lack of support for the library and provided
suggestions for future library endeavors.
The open letter lamented the scattering of volumes, the loss of charming
and quiet reading space, the apathy of the city, and suggested that future
libraries keep their stockholders better informed, and called existing
institutions to take up the banner and create new libraries (26-27). By October 24th, the luck for the Library
Company director and their collection turned around as they transferred their
materials to the St. Louis Lyceum. The
St. Louis Lyceum would become the Mercantile Library in 1846. The Mercantile Library was not a true public
library during this era; it kept its membership almost exclusively to clerks
and merchants. However, the Mercantile has endured into the
twenty-first century as a piece of living St. Louis history and archive.
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