File:Wayne County Democrat February 18, 1903 p1.jpg

Newspaper article

Date	1903/02/18
Organization name	Wayne County Public Library WCPL Wooster Main
Industry Sector	Information > Libraries and Archives
Year	1903
Newspaper title	Wayne County Democrat
Page number	3
Article title	Carnegie Give Wooster $12500 for Public Library

Wayne County Democrat February 18, 1903 Page 1, column 3

CARNEGIE

Gives Wooster $12,500 for Public Library.

City to Furnish Site and Maintain Institution at $1,250 a Year.

Through the personal efforts of Mr. James Mullins, Andrew Carnegie has offered Wooster the sum of $12,500 with which to build a public library. The city in order to get this sum must meet the usual conditions and furnish a site; also $1,250 a year for the maintenance of the institution.

It has not as yet been decided as to just what site will be purchased for the library, as options have been had on several different ones. At the regular meeting of Council Monday night, it was unanimously decided to accept Mr. Carnegie’s offer, and plans for the erection of the building will soon be drawn up

Following we give the letter of Mr. Carnegie and also the acceptance by Mr. Mullins:

CARNEGIE’S OFFER February 3, 1903.

James Mullins, Esq., Wooster, Ohio Dear Sir: --Responding to your communication in behalf of Wooster –If the City agree by Resolution of Council to maintain a Free Public Library at cost of not less than Twelve Hundred and Fifty dollars a year and provide a suitable site for the building, Mr. Carnegie will be pleased to furnish Twelve Thousand Five Hundred dollars to erect a Free Public Library Building for Wooster.

Respectfully yours, Jas. Bertram, P. Secretary.

OFFER ACCEPTED. Wooster, O., Feb. 6, 1903.

Mr. james Bertram, Esq., P. Sec’y: Dear Sir: --Your letter of the 3d inst. was duly received.

In behalf of the citizens of Wooster, and of our Board of Trustees, I thank Mr. Carnegie most sincerely for his kind and liberal offer, of twelve thousand five hundred dollars, for the erection of a Public Library in our city, and you for the prompt attention you have given our request, when, I understand, there are so many other similar cases pending.

you may say to Mr. Carnegie that his requirements will be fully met. I have talked with the President of our City Council, and he assures me that at the next regular meeting (which will be on the 16th inst.) a resolution will be passed agreeing to maintain a Public Library at a cost of not less than $1,250 a year. A free site will also be provided, which I am sure will be entirely satisfactory to Mr. Carnegie. This will be done by subscription. The list being started today, headed by myself, for $500. As soon as the resolution is passed by Council I will send you a certified copy, and by that time I think I will be able to say to you that the site will have been purchases.

Very respectfully and truly yours, James Mullins, Pres. Board of Trustees Wooster Public Library Association.

• A note on the transcription.

Spelling, capitalization, words in italics, and punctuation have been preserved as in the original printed article.