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.
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