Bandera County Library – Bandera TX - WPA Projects on Waymarking.com

The Kronkosky Library of Bandera County has had a long and rather amazing history. At 3:00 in the afternoon on a late summer day in 1932 thirty-one women and men gathered at the American Legion Hall to form a library club. Ruth Roome was elected president, Howard Eckhart vice-president, Mrs. Ray Hay secretary, Miss Lois Fletcher (later Scarlett) treasurer and Miss Thelma Surber (later Davenport) the first librarian. The club collected $11 in membership fees at that first meeting.

For $1.00 a year for ninety-nine years, payable to the County, the Library Association obtained a location immediately across the street from the court house for a new library building. In 1934 a CWA project was secured to cover a portion of the cost to build a new building. Members of the Association signed pledges of from $10 to $50 and sought cash donations from the community to raise matching funds. They also sponsored "folk programs" of fiddlin' and square dancing"; among the musicians were Elmo Newcomer, Emmett Edwards of Pipe Creek, Slick Jones of Utopia, Frank Jr., Bruce and Charlie Montague. J. Marvin Hunter organized performances for the group in Austin, Dallas, Ft. Worth, and at the Witte Museum in San Antonio. They even played on WOAI radio in San Antonio!

Through broad community effort, including the sale of the original building, the necessary $6,000 was raised. Local builder C. H. Brient was hired as the contractor, the fieldstone for the exterior of the building was gathered from the Joe W. Short ranch. Hough Lestourgeon did the rockwork, Tom Anderwald was the carpenter. Seven decades later the classic Texas Hill Country style building, constructed in 1934, still houses a main portion of the library.