Kirklin Public Library; Kirklin, Indiana
Posted by: 
boatchick
N 40° 11.589 W 086° 21.605
16T E 554469 N 4449391
Entering the 21st century, the Kirklin Carnegie library received a facelift that more than doubled the size of the building.
Waymark Code: WM6CQ4
Location: Indiana, United States
Date Posted: 05/14/2009
Views: 6
In 1913, a ladies group called the Double Six Club created the first public library in Kirklin, Indiana for the benefit of the community. The collection of donated books was at first housed in a rented room downtown. The town secured a grant of $7500 from the Carnegie Corporation to build a permanent library on a lot donated by one of the members of the club. Monetary and book donations contributed to the new library. The firm of Brookie and McGinnis, from Indianapolis, was hired to design the building. According to Library Occurrent, the library was opened in December of 1915 with a four day ceremony including club meetings, art showings, and Christmas stories for the children.
The library continues to use some original furnishings, but the library has changed over the years. A $1.2 million expansion project began in fall of 2001 and was completed by the the end of 2002. The expansion modernized the building with a handicapped accessible entry and computer facilities. The new section of the library was built directly behind the original Carnegie building, so a view from the street looks much as it did when the library was first opened. The Kirklin Carnegie library was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 as building #95000206.
References:
Kirklin Public Library website
Library Occurrent, Indiana Public Library Commission, Indiana State Library: Volume 3, Number 10 (March 1914); V. 4 No. 6 (April 1916)