List of Carnegie libraries in Arkansas
Eureka Springs Carnegie Library
Fort Smith Carnegie Library
Little Rock Carnegie Library
Morrilton Carnegie Library
Arkansas Carnegie libraries
The following list of Carnegie libraries in Arkansas provides detailed information on United States Carnegie libraries in Arkansas, where four libraries were built from four grants (totaling $138,600) awarded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York from 1906 to 1915.
Key
Building still operating as a library
Building standing, but now serving another purpose
Building no longer standing
Building listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Carnegie libraries
| Library | City or town |
Image | Date granted[1] |
Grant amount[1] |
Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eureka Springs | Eureka Springs | Apr 23, 1906 | $15,500 | 194 Spring St. 36°24′27.29″N 93°44′11.88″W / 36.4075806°N 93.7366333°W |
Construction began in 1910 after the building site was donated by R.C. Kerens, prominent investor in the nearby Crescent Hotel. The design for the building was prepared by St. Louis architect George W. Hellmuth. The building was completed in 1912, and was originally open only three afternoons a week as the library depended on memberships and contributions for income. By 1920 the library was open six days a week, and a year later the building was supplied with electrical lighting. This library continues to serve the community. | |
| 2 | Fort Smith | Fort Smith | Mar 24, 1906 | $25,000 | 318 N. 13th St. 35°23′8.2″N 94°24′56.92″W / 35.385611°N 94.4158111°W |
After opening on January 30, 1908, this building housed the Fort Smith Public Library until November 1970, when the library moved to a new building on South 8th Street. KFSM-TV then adapted the building as a television studio until 2019, when the station moved to a purpose-built facility in Johnson. The building was purchased at auction by University of Arkansas–Fort Smith professor and preservationist Diana Sims in 2024 for $149,000 to restore it to its library-era state.[2][3][4][5] | |
| 3 | Little Rock | Little Rock | Mar 24, 1906 | $88,100 | W. 7th St. and S. Louisiana St. 34°44′31.95″N 92°16′23.03″W / 34.7422083°N 92.2730639°W |
Opening on February 1, 1910, this building was razed in 1964. | |
| 4 | Morrilton | Morrilton | Sep 20, 1915 | $10,000 | 101 W. Church St. 35°9′4.07″N 92°44′43.64″W / 35.1511306°N 92.7454556°W |
Opened in October 1916, this library continues to serve the community as the Conway County Library.[6] |
See also
Notes
- ^ a b At various times, Bobinski and Jones disagree on these numbers. In these cases, Jones' numbers have been used due to both a more recent publication date and a more detailed gazetteer of branch libraries, which are often where the discrepancies occur.
- ^ "History of the Fort Smith Public Library". Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 22, 2009.
- ^ Herndon, Dallas T Herndon (1922). Centennial History of Arkansas. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co. p. 597. OCLC 11549182.
- ^ Tilley, Michael (August 8, 2024). "UAFS professor buys former Carnegie Library, KFSM building". Talk Business & Politics. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
- ^ "Fort Smith Public Library History". Fort Smith Public Library. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
- ^ "Conway County Library: About". Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved June 23, 2009.
References
- Bobinski, George S. (1969). Carnegie Libraries: Their History and Impact on American Public Library Development. Chicago: American Library Association. ISBN 0-8389-0022-4.
- Jones, Theodore (1997). Carnegie Libraries Across America. New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-14422-3.
Note: The above references, while all authoritative, are not entirely mutually consistent. Some details of this list may have been drawn from one of the references (usually Jones) without support from the others. Reader discretion is advised.