One of seventeen in Montana and 1,679 in the country funded by Andrew Carnegie between 1886 and 1917, the Big Timber Carnegie Library was designed by the architectural firm of Link and Haire of Butte and Billings and built in 1913 at a cost of about $8,500. Of the $8,500, Carnegie supplied $7,500 and the town was forced to raise the remainder when a request for further funds beyond the $7,500 initially pledged by Carnegie was denied by Carnegie's secretary, then director of the library program.
Used as a library from the time it opened, the building remains the
Big Timber Public Library to this day.
The library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 2002 and on August 29, 2003 it was given official recognition by the town itself via the local newspaper, the Big Timber Pioneer. Excerpts from the story of the dedication of the NRHP marker follow.
National Register Marker Dedicated at
Carnegie Library
Lauren McMullen | August 29, 2003
Most of you know at least something about the history of the Big Timber Carnegie Public- Library: for example, that it was built in 1913 with a grant from Andrew Carnegie, and that it has enjoyed a long association with the Big Timber Woman's Club.
For more information about events that led to the library building’s construction and about its early years of operation. I invite you to read the short history of the Big Timber Carnegie Library, compiled and written by Maggi Buttrcll (printed on this page and available at the Library).
In July 2002 our library joined the following distinguished company of National Register properties in Big Timber: The Grand Hotel, built in 1890 and listed on the National Register in 1985. St. Mark's Episcopal Church, built in 1895 and listed on the National Register during its centennial year in 1995; Big Timber Town Hall, built in 1909 and listed in 1998. In addition, there are five other properties listed in the county, including historic ranch homesteads and a Yellowstone River crossing.
The National Register of Historic Places was authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 to identify, evaluate and protect sites, buildings and structures that arc significant to our nation's history and culture. The Register is administered by the National Park Service under the Secretary of the Interior and includes the National Park System, National historic landmarks, and properties like this one that have significance for the nation and the communities that nominate them.
Listing on the National Register provides recognition of a property's value to the community and the nation, qualifies the property for federal historical preservation assistance when such funds are available, and preserves the property as a living part of a community and its history.
Read on at the Big Timber Pioneer