The Williams Free Library is a public building in

Beaver Dam A beaver dam or beaver impoundment is a dam built by beavers to create a pond which protects against predators such as coyotes, wolves and bears, and holds their food during winter. These structures modify the natural environment in such a way t ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. It was the first

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

to have open stacks. In 1985 the building was abandoned and the library was relocated and renamed the Beaver Dam Community Library. While the building is no longer used as a library, its

Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revival style incorporates 11th and 12th century southern French, Spanish, and Italian Romanesque ...

design remains one of the city's architectural gems.

History

Founding

The library was founded in 1884 as the Beaver Dam Free City Library and was housed in a room in City Hall. In April 1890, John J. Williams, a wealthy local businessman, offered the library's board of directors $25,000 to construct a new building if, in exchange, the city would pay for the land. The Common Council agreed on April 15, 1890, to purchase a lot belonging to W.H. and T.D. Lawrence at Park Avenue and Spring Street, as well as an adjacent lot owned by Joseph Wagner on Park, for $12,200.

Construction

Plans were completed by Walter Holbrook of Edward Townsend Mix & Co. of

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

in May 1890. The library's design was inspired by

Henry Hobson Richardson Henry Hobson Richardson, FAIA (September 29, 1838 – April 27, 1886) was an American architect, best known for his work in a style that became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Along with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, Richardson is one ...

. Construction began in July, with lot preparations completed by August. On August 26, Mayor E. Elwell declared a half-holiday for the cornerstone laying ceremony, which was executed by the local

Masons Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutt ...

. Collection of the required

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

and

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

slowed construction, but work was completed in July 1891, with the building's dedication held on July 15, 1891. Thousands were in attendance, as it was held in conjunction with Beaver Dam's semi-centennial celebration. The doors of the library opened on September 1, 1891, with Mary J. Doolittle as its inaugural librarian. Its initial holdings were made up of 4,500 volumes. Mary's sister Hattie took over the library after Mary's unexpected death in 1897. Hattie served as librarian for the next 47 years.

Expansion

The library was placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. By 1979 the library had a collection of 52,608 books. As the collection and city grew, the library outgrew the Williams building. The city built a new library incorporating the Williams Free Library, and opened the new Beaver Dam Community Library on North Spring Street on March 4, 1985.

Dodge County Historical Society and Museum

The building has been occupied by the Dodge County Historical Society since 1985. The historic structure that formerly housed the library holdings is now rented for $1 per year to the Dodge County Historical Society and houses its museum.

Gallery

Williams Free Library front.jpg, Front view Williams Free Library back.jpg, Rear view Williams Free Library tower.jpg, Tower Williams Free Library.jpg, Vintage postcard

References

External links

Dodge County Historical Society
{{authority control Library buildings completed in 1891 Public libraries in Wisconsin Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin Buildings and structures in Dodge County, Wisconsin Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Wisconsin Museums in Dodge County, Wisconsin History museums in Wisconsin 1891 establishments in Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Dodge County, Wisconsin Beaver Dam, Wisconsin