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Brief Narrative History
In 1893, the Ladies Literary Society of
Paulding assessed themselves $2.00 each to start a circulating
library. Standard books were purchased and kept at the residence of
the librarian, Mrs. Wm J. Wheeler. Books were offered to the
public upon payment of 5 cents per volume per week. With this
money more books were purchased. The library was in various
places, in homes, above downtown stores and in a Main Street
store front.
In 1903, the Federation of Literary Societies of Paulding met to
enlist the public in obtaining a public library. From this
meeting the Public Library Association was organized with 600 books
on the shelves.
In 1913, Rebecca S. Latty, widow of Alexander Sankey Latty donated 4
lots on South Main Street and an extended piece of land that
stretched to the center of Flat Rock Creek, including the
section called "Old Tail Race."
In the same year, through the efforts of Mr. C. H. Allen of
Paulding, Mr. Andrew Carnegie gave $40, 000 to build a
library. This was the first county library that Carnegie gave
money to have built. The new library was open for
business on March 3, 1916 with 4000 books and renamed the
Paulding County Carnegie Library.
The building was constructed of fireproof and slow burning
materials, French gray pressed brick and Indian
Bedford stone with a green tile roof. Architects were Howard
and Merriam of Columbus, Ohio. These architects also designed
the Hayes Presidential Library in Fremont, Ohio.
The library was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places
in 1985. In 2003 the library received an Ohio Bicentennial
Historical marker in recognition of it being the first county
library funded by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation.
The first librarian in 1916 was Miss Elle Louise Smith. Mrs. Susan
Pieper has been the director since 1997. In 2009 the voters of
Paulding County approved an operational levy for the first time in
the library's history. In 2010, the Paulding County Carnegie
Library and the three branch libraries (Antwerp, Oakwood, and Payne)
has 19 paid employees.
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