File:Wayne County Herald, February 12, 1903, p2.jpg

Newspaper article

Date	1903/02/12
Organization name	Wayne County Public Library WCPL Wooster Main
Industry Sector	Information > Libraries and Archives
Year	1903
Newspaper title	Wayne County Herald
Page number	2
Article title	Generous Gift for Wooster

Wayne County Herald February 12, 1903 Page 2, column 3

Generous Gift for Wooster

Andrew Carnegie Offers $12500 for a Free Public Library building for Wooster

The following letter explains itself and tells of a bequest to be made to Wooster by Mr. Andrew Carnegie, who so generously contributed to the rebuilding fund of the University.

February 3, 1903 James Mullins, Esq, Wooster, O: Dear Sire: --Responding to your communications in behalf of Wooster –If the City agree by Resolution of Councils 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.

Mr. James Mullins, president of the board of library trustees, through whose efforts and influence the above offer was made, replied as follows, after consultation with the trustees of the public library, the city council and leading citizens.

Wooster, O, Feb 6, 1903 Mr James Bertram, Esq, P. Sec’y: Dear Sir: --Your letter of the 3rd inst was duly received.

In behalf of the citize4ns 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 ur 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 held on the 16th inst.) a resolution will be passed agreeing to maintain a Public Library at a cost of not less than $1250 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 tht the site will have been purchased.

Very respectively 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.