Trans Allegheny Books, Parkersburg, West Virginia
Posted by: 
boatchick
N 39° 15.933 W 081° 33.350
17S E 452049 N 4346392
The Parkersburg Carnegie library has found new (but not completely unfamiliar) life as a used book store.
Waymark Code: WM4ZV5
Location: West Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 10/19/2008
Views: 11
The
Parkersburg & Wood County Public Library webpage does not provide a history of the library system. However, the logo in the upper left corner of the page, a stylized building bearing the date 1905, clearly points to the construction of the Carnegie library in Parkersburg. The inscription on the cornerstone at the south corner of the building, facing East 8th Street, indicates that it was laid on October of 1904. The inscription on the other side, facing Green Street, lists the members of the Parkersburg Board of Education, as well as the architect, E. T. Sanderson, and the contractor, C. W. Prewett. A $34,000 grant was obtained from Andrew Carnegie to build this Classical Revival style building. It has several reading rooms with ornate fireplaces, tile floor in the entryway, hand-carved wooden staircases in the front of the building, and a wrought-iron spiral staircase with a brass handrail in the rear of the building. The rear of the building also has glass floors and a stained-glass window. This building was used as the Parkersburg library until January of 1976. In December of 1985, it was re-opened, still full of books, but now as
Trans Allegheny Books, now the largest used book store in West Virginia. The bookstore proudly displays a portrait of Andrew Carnegie, which was received by the library in honor of their 50th anniversary, then was lost and later recovered at a yard sale!