The Smith County Historical Society, housed in the Carnegie Library, is located at 125 S. College Street in the city of
Tyler Tyler may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tyler (name), an English name; with lists of people with the surname or given name
* Tyler, the Creator (born 1991), American rap artist and producer
* John Tyler, 10th president of the United ...
,
Smith County, Texas
Smith County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 233,479. Its county seat is Tyler. Smith County is named for James Smith, a general during the Texas Revolution.
Smith County is part of the Tyl ...
, U.S. It was built in 1904 as the Carnegie Public Library, and added to the
in 1979. When Tyler built a new public library, the Carnegie building was leased to the Smith County Historical Society and continues to operate as a museum and archives.
Carnegie library
In 1903, Tyler was the recipient of an $15,000 grant from the
Andrew Carnegie Library Fund. The grant was part of $645,000 the Fund distributed to thirty-four areas in Texas for the establishments of individual libraries between 1898 and 1917. Philanthropist
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...
(1835 –1919) encouraged the establishment of libraries in geographical areas by requiring annual matching local funds equal to at least ten percent of the grant itself. Andrew Carnegie's agreement with Tyler was that it would raise $1,500 annually to maintain and operate the library.
The initial matching fund in Tyler was for essentials such as purchase of the land and interior furnishings.
Tyler's populace rose to the occasion in support of its proposed library. Portraits of
Robert E. Lee and
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...
were donated by the Mollie Moore Davis Chapter of the
Daughters of the Confederacy
The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is an American neo-Confederate hereditary association for female descendants of Confederate Civil War soldiers engaging in the commemoration of these ancestors, the funding of monuments to them, ...
. Contributions to buy a $2,000 lot from Annie Regina McMahon on which to locate the library came from 172 local citizens. Limestone and brick was used in 1904 for the construction of the library, which was topped with a red tile roof. The area media gave due attention to the fund raising, and generosity of the citizens resulted in everything from botanical gifts for landscaping, to wall hangings, books and publications to fill its shelves, construction materials and services, and a piano for its auditorium. The building was doubled in size in 1936 by a $25,000 expansion project that upgraded the interior lighting. In 1965, a children's literature department was sectioned off from the upstairs auditorium. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Smith County, Texas in 1979.
Carnegie History Center
Upon the 1980 construction of the new Tyler Public Library across the street at 201 S. College, the city of Tyler leased the Carnegie Library to the Smith County Historical Society, at which time the structure was renovated.
In 1984, the Carnegie History Center opened in the building, operated by the historical society. In 1959, the historical society was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The history center houses all manner of historical artifacts, archives and resource materials. Donations supplement financial support from the society. Research assistance is provided at a fee.
The Carnegie History Center dissolved into the Smith County Historical Society in the 1990s, and the Society maintains all museum exhibits and artifacts.
Hours, admission, parking
The museum is open to the public five days a week, closed on Sunday and Monday. Admission is free, and the west side of the building has a free parking lot.
See also
*
List of museums in East Texas
This article was split from List of museums in Texas.
The list of museums in Texas encompasses museums defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and car ...
*
*
Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Smith County
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carnegie History Center
Library buildings completed in 1904
Carnegie libraries in Texas
Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas
Museums in Tyler, Texas
National Register of Historic Places in Smith County, Texas
Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks