Bitterroot Public Library - Hamilton, Montana - Carnegie Library Buildings on Waymarking.com

The Bitterroot Public Library was built with a $9,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie on land provided by Margaret Daly, the widow of copper king Marcus Daly. The building is a contributing structure for the Hamilton Commercial Historic District which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on Sept 1, 1988.
Text of sign at building:
Hamilton’s Ministerial Association opened the first free library in Ravalli County in April 1903 in a room donated by the Ravalli County Bank. Three months later, Hamilton voters levied a one mill tax to support the library, and the enterprise passed into public hands. In 1907 the library moved to the newly constructed city hall. When that space became inadequate, the community approached steel magnate Andrew Carnegie for money for a new building. The process stalled because Carnegie, who helped finance over 1,600 library buildings across the country, required towns to provide a building site. The Hamilton Woman’s Club revived the campaign in 1914 by procuring the necessary gift of land from Margaret Daly, widow of copper king Marcus Daly. On July 8, 1916, the new building opened to the public. The $9,000 structure’s symmetrical facade, daylight basement, and classical detailing are characteristic of Carnegie libraries. The front portico was added later. Community support led to construction of an addition in 1988, which has allowed the Bitterroot Public Library to meet the growing needs of its patrons.

Address of Library Building: 306 State Street Hamilton, Montana United States 59840 Current Use of Building: Library Year Built (optional): 1916 Website about building: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log User Rating   12/28/2023 AdamsSix visited it 05/19/2019 DairyMedic visited it 10/08/2010 Volcanoguy visited it

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