History

The first library in Chickasha was the Carnegie Library building, which also has the distinction of being the first free public library in what was then Indian Territory.  Chickasha was founded in 1892 with the arrival of the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railways and was incorporated into a city with the opening of the post office in June 1902.  The railroads brought a huge increase in population and the community grew rapidly during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  In 1900, there were around 3,209 people in Chickasha and the community was centered around the railroad and agriculture.  With the increase in population came the need for civic, educational, and religious organizations, as well as cultural institutions and entertainment.   

The idea for a library in Chickasha began with several women’s organizations whose members were interested in promoting literacy in the community.  These organizations were first established in Chickasha during the 1890s to provide intellectual and educational resources and they quickly saw the need for a public library.  Before the 1880s, many people had to pay subscriptions to use libraries, which made them unattainable to those who lacked money for resources.  When Andrew Carnegie became the world’s richest man at the turn of the 20th century, he gave away a total of $350 million dollars, much of it to build free public libraries in towns and cities around the country.  Over 2,500 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, with the requirement that each town contribute ten percent of the annual funding to its library, supply its own building site, and provide free service to the public. 

Several members of the Chickasha chapter of the Sorosis Study Club, which was founded in 1896, realized that the community needed a library and so they began a newspaper campaign to bring the idea to the public.  Other women’s organizations that were active in Chickasha during that time also joined the library promotion effort.  As the idea grew, other residents and business leaders began supporting a public library, which they saw as a sign of cultural and intellectual progress in the community.  In the meantime, a few private individuals and organizations in Chickasha attempted to fill the need for books and information.  A Literary Club was founded in 1902 “for the publications” by O.P. Gannaway, but it cost $1 for a two-year membership.  Significantly, the Sorosis Study Club also began a small circulating collection of 55 volumes and $30 in 1900.  By the following year, that collection grew to 115 books, which quickly became too large for just a few people to manage.  

Three women’s clubs in Chickasha, the Sorosis Study Club, New Century Club, and the Chautauqua Circle, requested a grant from Andrew Carnegie in 1903 for the purpose of building a public library.  In January, R.F. Scoffern, then the mayor of Chickasha, along with D.L. Hopkins, the chief of police, and Major W.F. Granlee of the Chickasha Weekly Express, visited the Carnegie Library in Oklahoma City in order to tour the building and discuss the requirements of the grant.  They left with a favorable impression and a desire to build a similar library in Chickasha. 

Upon receiving the grant request, Jane Bertram, private secretary to Andrew Carnegie, wrote the following reply to R.F. Scoffern, which detailed the city’s requirements for the library:  “Replying to your recent inquiry regarding the public library building at Chickasha, will say that if your city resolution of city council, will agree to maintain a free public library at a cost of not less than $1,000 a year and will provide a suitable site for the building, Mr. Carnegie will furnish $10,000 to equip a free library for Chickasha.” 

The grant was accepted on April 4, 1903 and the city agreed to purchase the land and support the library with at least $1,000 per year.  Chickasha residents were divided on the issue because some people felt that Chickasha already had too many taxes and didn’t think that a library was a necessity justification for paying an extra tax.  The women’s clubs were instrumental in educating and informing the public that the benefits of having a library in the community would outweigh the cost.  They held lectures and wrote newspaper articles about how Carnegie libraries were able to provide services to other communities and the ways in which a library could help Chickasha to grow and prosper.  Mrs. J.R. Harris wrote an impassioned article in the Chickasha Weekly Express on April 10, 1903, arguing that Chickasha couldn’t survive as “a commercial and railroad city only” and that a public library was instrumental for establishing a permanent community.

The Federation of Women’s Clubs were also involved in securing the land on which the library was built.  A library finance committee was created by the City Federation of Women’s Clubs to raise money to purchase the land.  The presiding officer was Estella M. Rees Johnston (1856-1922), who was the wife of Dr. Daniel Matheson Johnston (1856-1949), and the grandmother of Maude and Dana Dews.  Other members included Mrs. C.E. Adams and Mrs. E.M. Payne of Sorosis; Mrs. Albert Harris of Chautauqua, Mrs. B.L. Newman, Bessie Robinson, and Sue Shepard of the New Century Club, Mary E. Hendrix, and Chickasha mayor R.F. Scoffern.

Several different plots of land were selected as possible building sites.  The Chickasha Daily Express quoted Stella M. Carter Brown (1861-1911), chairwoman of the Federation of Women’s Clubs, as saying that “We have already been offered by the members of the Christian church a part of the lot on which their church now stands.  This lot occupies one quarter of a square and is at the northeast corner of Iowa avenue and Sixth street,” and that other offers were expected soon.  She also stressed the need for the city to take responsibility for continued support of a public library.  “Understand that the city will not be relieved of responsibility in the matter.  We are simply going to do what we think is for the good of our town and the interest of the people, by raising the necessary money only until such a time as the city is in a position to take care of it.  The council and city officers are going to co-operate with me.”  Stella Brown continued by emphasizing the women’s clubs’ determination to succeed in their library endeavor.  “The word fail has been taken out of our vocabulary in this as well as all other matters that relate to the welfare of our city.”

A public vote was held for two weeks to choose the library location in February 1903.  415 out of the 481 votes cast were for the location at 6th and Iowa, which was purchased by the city in April.  The other sites offered were 6th and Kansas (which received 50 votes), and 8th and Chickasha (15 votes), with two ballots left blank. 

The Carnegie Library was finally dedicated on March 23, 1905.  The library was furnished by various civic organizations.  A reception was held from 2:00-5:00 pm, with committees stationed in various rooms of the library who were available to answer questions.  Frances Manby Hamilton (1860-1919) greeted citizens as they arrived for the dedication.  At 2:30 in the afternoon, there was a children’s march, where the Chickasha Daily Express predicted that “more than a thousand pupils will be in line, a sight that has never before been seen in Chickasha.”  The children formed a line and walked with their teachers from their schools to the library, “each bearing a contribution.”  A formal dedication was held at 7:30 pm that included organ, piano, and vocal music, as well as addresses from Judge Frank M. Bailey, R.F. Scoffern, C. Porter Johnson, and a reading from Frances Davis.  Reverend J.D. Boen delivered the principal address and then handed the key to the building to the library board. 

Sallie Lou Trice Thompson (1870-1936), who was also known as Mrs. J.A. Thompson, was the first librarian at the Carnegie Library.  She graduated from high school in Decatur, Texas in 1889 and then studied at Baylor University. Sallie Thompson served as the librarian of the Carnegie Library during three separate time periods: from 1905-1907, from 1910-1916, and then from 1923-1929. 

The initial collection, made up entirely of donated books, consisted of “465 volumes ready to be taken out for public use, besides 75 standard reference books and 1100 volumes of government reports which may not be taken from the library.”  Around 100 of those books were history, 200 were fiction, 15 were geography and travel, and 50 were children’s books.  The first book to be recorded in the library’s accession records was Bob, Son of Battle, a children’s book written by Alfred Ollivant in 1898 and published by Doubleday in 1900, which was acquired by an anonymous donation.

The first person to receive a library card was Mary B. Murry Smith (1882-1931), a Chickasha resident who had established a temporary public library at her home at the corner of 7th and Dakota Avenue and worked without pay while the Carnegie Library was being built.  Mary Smith signed up for her card on October 18, 1905 and the newspaper later reported that “Since that time Mrs. Smith has been a constant visitor at the library.” 

There were approximately 500 users of the library during the first year.  1,960 books were loaned, mostly fiction.  50 books were purchased, and 600 books were added through donations and gifts “in answer to Federation club letters.”  On October 2, 1911 the Carnegie Library celebrated its 6th birthday with a commemorative article in the Chickasha Daily Express, which stated that “at the present time the library contains 2,500 volumes for use, besides hundreds of documents and magazines.  On the roll kept by the librarian are 2,300 names of book-users, indicating that the institution is working at full capacity.”  By 1914, the Carnegie Library had 3,000 users and a collection of 5,000 books.  Sallie Thompson reported to the Chickasha Daily Express in 1914 that the library had already paid a 500% return on investment for the residents of Chickasha in its nine years of operation.  13,351 books were circulated that year at a cost of $1,250.  

The June 1920 annual report showed that the library experienced tremendous growth during the previous fiscal year.  The newspaper reported that the library’s usage surpassed “any previous record to date.”  18,321 books were borrowed, an average of 1,526 books per month, or over 50 per day.  There were 4,806 borrowers, and 438 of those had been recently added.  The library building was renovated and redecorated in 1923.  The upstairs was made available for clubs and other organizations and the Federation of Women’s Clubs provided furniture for the assembly room and landscaped the lawn.  The library also served as a polling place for Chickasha’s Ward 4 in local elections during the 1920s.  

In 1926, Sallie Thompson helped to start a library branch at the Lincoln School, which she described as “a valued and much appreciated addition to the year’s work.” Before the middle of the 20th century, Jim Crow laws in Oklahoma were in effect, and white lawmakers prohibited African Americans from using public libraries.  In 1911, Oklahoma Session Laws mandated that separate libraries and reading rooms be established in towns whose African American population was more than a thousand people.   The library board had tried to establish the branch for 15 years, but no appropriation of funds had been made by the city council.  Although books had been donated to the Lincoln School for several years, this was the first time it became an official library branch.  Sallie Thompson wrote that “The legal obligation of the city to supply library service to negro citizens has been settled by court in several Oklahoma towns, there is also a moral obligation, and those who believe in the wholesome influence of books ought to discharge it.  The negro citizens have waited patiently, and have made reasonable requests for books at the desk in the city library.”

The first librarian at the Lincoln School branch was Grace Dorsey, who also taught English at Lincoln School.  Mrs. Dorsey, despite initially not receiving a salary, kept the library open during vacations and provided a children’s story hour twice a week.  The Lincoln School library branch served both the students, as well as Chickasha’s entire African American population for many years. Grace Dorsey later was employed by the Chickasha School Board during the school term and by the Carnegie Library Board during the summer months for four hours a day. 

By the time Sallie Thompson retired in 1929, the Carnegie Library had "increased to a well-organized collection of nearly 12,000 volumes.  Six thousand borrowers are making use of these books and other printed material in the library.  A branch for colored citizens has been organized in Lincoln high school. This expansion creates an ever-increasing need for a maintenance fund for new books, equipment and service.  In keeping with other city developments a new building with adequate reading room space and many more books will be an urgent demand of the near future.”

The Vacation Reading Club, a precursor to today’s Summer Reading Program, was active for many years at the Carnegie Library beginning in the 1930s.  It was developed by the Traveling Libraries Department of the Oklahoma Library Commission in order to encourage children to read during the summer months.  Children who read the most books during each week of the program were recognized in the Chickasha Daily Express.

The annual report written in June 1940 stated that there were 8,451 total borrowers, or 69% of the population, who had “borrowed a fraction more than eight books per capita.”  There were 19,794 books, over 700 more than the previous year.  68,530 books were circulated and an average of 40 children attended Story Hour each week during the year. A June 21, 1940 newspaper article commemorated the return of an overdue book titled Then I’ll Come Back To You by Larry Evans.  The original due date was April 28, 1920, making this book 20 years overdue, but it eventually came back to the library after a long absence. 

As the library’s collection continued to grow and the second floor became more fragile, shelf space became scarce. 489 books were added in the 1949 fiscal year, bringing the total to 23,516 books.  There were 8,374 active cardholders at the end of June 1949.  The library purchased a “new electric drinking fountain” in 1951 and added shelves in one of the offices to hold some of the books.

In 1955 the Carnegie Library celebrated its 50th anniversary. The official celebration was held at the library in March. Eight Chickasha residents who had served on the library board between the library’s founding in 1905 and 1933 were honored.    

By the early 1960s, Chickasha began to integrate its schools and libraries and a long era of informational inequality quietly came to an and. Lincoln School became an elementary school and the Carnegie Library was finally able to fulfill its mission as a public library that was open to everyone in the community.  The library building, however, was facing several problems.  The second-floor auditorium that once held up to 400 people sagged in the middle, making it dangerous and unusable for either people or storage. After several years of gradually decreasing the amount of people allowed, the second floor of the library building was condemned as unsafe.  Because of this, the entire library was crowded into the first floor, where “shelves of books are so jammed that two people trying to pass each other in the aisles find themselves exchanging apologies.  Many of the shelves themselves are so crowded that another book couldn’t possibly be fitted in.  Librarians have one office, just large enough to contain two desks, crowded with stacks of newly-arrived books and shelves of volumes for which there’s no room in the public area.” 

On October 23, 1962, citizens voted on a $175,000 bond to fund a new library building.  A federal grant of $129,000 for a new library was approved in July 1963.  The Carnegie Library building was town down and two houses adjoining the library were purchased and cleared for the new building.  In May 1964, the library board voted unanimously to change the name of the library to Chickasha Public Library.  

The Chickasha Public Library had 36,569 books at the time of its reopening in late 1964.  Thre were 45,241 books at the end of 1970, as well as a “very successful” paperback exchange, and 97 interlibrary loan requests.  Other resources included a 16mm Bell and Howell sound projector, and a copier.  In 1973, the library board voted to purchase “one Walensack unit with junction box and 8 headsets and tapes.”  An IBM typewriter was purchased the following year.  

According to various articles in the Chickasha Daily Express, the library’s services during the 1970s included books, newspapers, a copy machine, pamphlets, maps, encyclopedias for children and adults, microfiche and microfilm, large print material, and Interlibrary Loan, and that music cassettes would soon be available for check-out.  The IRS also provided cassette tapes in English and Spanish to help people with taxes.  

The Chickasha Public Library celebrated its 75th anniversary on March 23, 1980.  Almost 200 people attended the celebration, including Nell Corbin, the last librarian to work at the original Carnegie Library.  A portrait of Frances Manby Hamilton, who had greeted the public during the library’s opening in 1905, was displayed in the library.  There were historic photographs loaned by Irwin Munn and the Grady County Historical Society, a film for children, a book drawing, and an exhibit of old cars.  The library staff also designed period costumes.  Viola Entz, who had attended the original opening of the Carnegie Library as a child in 1905, was also at the 75th anniversary celebration.  She told the story of how she and her parents, who had come to Chickasha in 1901, had witnessed the first library opening. 

In 1985, the Chickasha Public Library had a collection of 61,000 books, as well as newspapers, magazines, and encyclopedias.  The genealogy department was created with the addition of material from the Grady County Genealogical Society and a grant was received for new reference books.  The library was open 53 hours per week and served 16,807 patrons who checked out 127,807 books that year.  

The library's first computer arrived on December 26, 1985, and automated checkouts soon followed.  By October 1986, all patrons’ names were in the computer and library books were being added as they were checked in.  In March 1987, library cards started containing barcodes for the first time.  

During the 1990s, the Chickasha Public Library expanded its focus to include providing access to computer technology, which was staring to become more common in homes and businesses.  In March 1995, the Chickasha Public Library began tracking public computer usage in monthly reports and a total of 95 people used the computer that first month.  

Chickasha author Bill Wallace had an annual book signing autograph party for many years at the Chickasha Public Library, where people could purchase his books and have them signed.  He wrote a total of 31 books, 7 of which were written with his wife, Carol Wallace.  These book signings were sponsored by the Friends of the Library and were very popular.  

In February 1996 the library began receiving Internet access for the first time and acquired a CD ROM, color monitor, and printer.  Initially, there was one computer for public use.  People could browse the Internet through Netscape or Internet Explorer and also type, copy, and print documents.  In 1997, the library received a technology matching grant from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries for “a computer dedicated to Internet access.”  This meant that there were now two computers available for the public.  One was designated for typing and printing documents and the other for accessing the Internet.    

In September 1999, the Chickasha Public Library received $14,398 from the Gates Foundation to improve Internet access.  Library director Catharine Cook was quoted as saying that “Because of this grant from Bill and Melinda Gates, we will have a total of six computer workstations dedicated for public access to the Internet.”  

In early 2003, the Chickasha Public Library was renovated and expanded to add 750 feet of space.  This was the largest renovation since the completion of the new building in 1964.  A new circulation desk was bought and moved to the new area by the front door and a new children’s librarian’s office and staff office were built in the area that was formerly a breezeway in between the library and the meeting room.  The meeting room was upgraded with a kitchen area, a TV, and a projector.  

The Chickasha Public Library celebrated its 100-year anniversary on March 23, 2005.  The theme was “A Century of Service” and several events were held between February 20 and March 23.  

The library’s first website, which was created by Catharine Cook and Robin Kickingbird during a weeklong training program at the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, went live in 2006.  In August 2008, the library was partially renovated with the addition of the Teen Zone.  E-books were available to check out for the first time through the Oklahoma Virtual Library in June 2012.  By 2013, library services included “access to new databases that allow its guests to conduct research in automotive repair, lessons in language and genealogy exploration. Additional services include summer reading programs, microfilm access, interlibrary loans and recorded books, among others.”

The Friends of the Library held the first Chocolate Celebration, which became an annual event, on February 13, 2013.  In September, new carpet was installed, new furniture was purchased, and the library’s layout was rearranged to provide more open seating areas by the new books and newspapers.  The public computers were moved, and several display tables were added to create an open, inviting area in which to read new books and magazines.  Some of the other notable improvements during the 2010s included the new automatic front doors and the addition of a second 15-minute computer. 

The Chickasha Public Library was scheduled to celebrate its 115th birthday in March of 2020, but that event was cancelled due to the temporary closure of in-person services during COVID-19.  Staff continued to work to provide services to the public in new and modified ways during that time.  Library cards could be renewed by phone and instructions for using digital services were given on the library’s Facebook page.  Bags of books were put together for outdoor pick-up at designated times.  Each bag contained 5 or 10 books in one of six different categories (preschool, children’s, teens, adult fiction, adult nonfiction, and adult books on CD).  Summer Reading, which was held in June and July as usual, was different than in previous years. Instead of in-person programs, the library provided “weekly virtual and grab and go programs for a variety of age groups” and “programs in a variety of formats” so that large crowds could be avoided.  

The outside of the library was also enhanced with artwork by local artists Amber and Adam Heilman during the summer of 2020. Individuals and organizations sponsored panels on the west side of the building to be painted with either shelves depicting the spines of their favorite books or a single, larger book spine.  The idea came from library director Lillie Huckaby, who was inspired both by the Kansas City Public Library and by the fact that the outside panels are the perfect size for book spines.  The first panel was sponsored by the Friends of the Library and contains several books by Bill Wallace.  The second panel was sponsored by Aa Heilman Art and the third panel was sponsored by Lillie Huckaby. Several other individuals and organizations expressed interest in sponsoring panels with specific books that are important in their lives.  Eventually, the entire side of the building became a colorful celebration of books that are meaningful to many different people, serving as a visual reminder of the library’s impact on the community.  

Even during the worst of the COVID-related upheaval and disruption, the library never stopped serving the public.  People checked out over 20,000 items from the library in 2021, and the library added over 2,200 items to the collection.  In recent years, several new programs were added, including book clubs for all ages, a teen amine club, tai chi, and a variety of healthy living classes, and the library is continuing its tradition of finding new and innovative ways to serve the community.

• Adapted from A History of the Chickasha Public Library, 1905-2020: The First 115 Years by Michelle Skinner