Carnegie Library - Guthrie, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 35° 52.694 W 097° 25.282
14S E 642502 N 3971593
The Carnegie Library at 402 E. Oklahoma Avenue in Guthrie was the second Carnegie Library built in Oklahoma, and is the oldest still standing.
Waymark Code: WMDJZ4
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 01/22/2012
Views: 4
The Carnegie Library, 402 E. Oklahoma Avenue, constructed of brick, stone, and marble, with a silver dome to draw the eye, was a gift from Andrew Carnegie. Inside, golden oak paneling and pillars supporting the dome are set on plates of Bedford limestone, with bases of green and maroon tile. In the building also are clubrooms and a gymnasium.
On the library's front steps, C. N. Haskell, the state's first governor, took the oath of office, and there a symbolic marriage ceremony uniting Oklahoma and Indian Territories took place. (A Guide to the Sooner State, 1941)
This is a two-story brick and stone building, with an attic and a full basement. The building is 62 x 72 feet and was built at a cost of $30,000. It was built with a 20 ft. diameter dome on top which stands 50 ft. above the library foyer. The cornerstone was laid on Oct. 17, 1901. The library opened on May 20, 1903.
The architect was J. H. Bennett, and it was constructed by H. J. Vandenberg. The library building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 (#71000666). It served as the Guthrie library from 1902 to 1970, when a new library was built, and the building was donated to the Oklahoma Historical Society. Two governors were inaugurated here: Frank Frantz, the last Territorial governor, in 1905; and Charles N. Haskell, the first State Governor in 1907.
Scene of many public and club meetings the building was the meeting place for the Betsy Ross Society's women who sewed Oklahoma's "46th Star" on the U.S. flag after statehood.
The building was given by the City of Guthrie to the Oklahoma Historical Society in 1969, and opened as Oklahoma Territorial Museum Nov. 13, 1973.