Lexington Libraries

From "Lexington" by Mary Wilson and Sharon Y. Asher, published sometime after 1975.

LEXINGTON FORERUNNER OF PRESENT DAY
LIBRARY IN SCOTT COUNTY

The present-day Scott County Public Library, of which the community is justly proud, is the end result of a chain of events going back in history over a century and a half. In reviewing the early years of the county, it is found that the town of Lexington had the beginning of the first libraries in Scott County.

The group of men who met in 1816 under the spreading Elm at Corydon to adopt a constitution for the new State of Indiana were men of great wisdom and keen foresight. Section 5 of the Article on Education provided that "The General Assembly, at the time they lay off a new county, shall cause at least 10% to be reserved out of the proceeds of the sale of town lots in the seat of justice in each county, for the use of a public library for such county; and at the same session they shall incorporate a library company under such rules and regulations as will best secure its permanence and extend its benefits."

No one has been able to determine the exact date on which the first county library was established in Scott County, but it was at a very early date. We find in the Commissioners' Record Book I, page 10, the following,dated September 3, 1851:

It is hereby ordered that John H. Duffield be appointed one of the Library Committee in place of R. H. Byers who has removed from the county.

So we know from this record that a county library was in existence in 1851, and probably even prior to that date.

A new law of 1852 provided for both county and township libraries. The Clerk, Auditor and Recorder were given charge of the county libraries and made Trustees for that purpose. The Scott County Library at Lexington was thriving a century and a half ago. In the Western Casket on April 23, 1857, editor E. W Paynter said in an editorial:

The old county library consisting of 1,000 of the best and most useful books extant. There is a field of knowledge there which, if explored, will amply repay anyone for their time and trouble.

The township library system initially was to be comprised of one library for each school, as authorized by the Act of 1837. This law provided that taxes not exceed $20 per year to be used for the purpose of a library administered by the District Trustees. The motive was good but no record is preserved of any such library. With the passage of the new law of 1852, a state tax of a quarter of a million each dollar of taxable property and a poll tax of twenty-five cents was imposed for the use of these state-owned township school

libraries. The law was administered in a confused manner and after 1855 the levy ceased. In that year the report of Caleb Mills, Public Instruction, showed 333,379 volumes in the township libraries. These early libraries were very popular and useful.

Regarding the Lexington Township Library, editor Paynter in 1857 said it was kept by Dr. Elishu Hollowell, containing over 800 excellent volumes which are doing a vast amount of good as they are read by more persons than any other library in the county.

Third in the trio of Lexington libraries was the MacClure Workingmen!s Library which Paynter stated was "donated to the laboring men o f the county and contains over 500 well-selected books and is kept by A. H. Campbell."

William MacClure was born in Ayr, Scotland in 1763. He came to the United States in 1799 and to New Harmony, Indiana, in 1825. He was a man of wealth, especially interested in natural science and was known as the "Father of American Geology." By his will, executed in Mexico City in 1840, he directed that his executors should donate "the sum of five hundred dollars … to any club or society of laborers who may establish in any part of the United States a reading and lecture room with a library of at least one hundred volumes." His estate was reduced to cash and in 1855 the distribution began. In all, 144 of these associations were formed in 89 of the 92 counties of Indiana and each received $500 for a library.

On July 17, 1855, the MacClure's Workingmen's Institute was organized at Lexington. The officers were: Alfred Amick--President, James Campbell--Vice President, A. H. Campbell--Librarian, and Hezekiah S. Smith--Secretary. There were twenty-four original members, including Scott County's most illustrious son, William H. English, who gave his occupation as "farmer."

These societies bought what books they wished. Most eventually folded because it was too expensive to maintain a library room and there was no obligation to do so. The books were divided among the members after a short time and the workingmen's libraries disappeared from the land.

In the Western Casket of April 30, 1857, one who signed himself simply "Lexingtonia" said, "Our libraries are not read as they should be because they are not sufficiently exposed to public view." He suggested the combining of these three libraries of some 2,500 volumes into one under a librarian who would attend to all three and superintend the reading room. He continued, "Such a hall would be an honor to our village and an accumulating monument to the character of our citizens. "

Apparently nothing was done toward this proposed merger. In the meantime the Western Casket was purchased by a young physician named David Campbell and the name was changed to the Lexington Clipper. In its pages on June 24, 1858, William H. English set forth in a long letter his reasons for such a merger and proposed the organization of a county library "which would not only be useful to us and our children, but one which would be a credit to our town and county; and which we could show to strangers with pleasure." He felt that with concerted action the building of a public library "creditable to the place and useful to the community" could be accomplished. To this end he promised the addition of five hundred dollars worth of books.

In the Clipper on September 16, 1858, Dr. Campbell said editorially, "We have not heard much about the proposition of William H. English. The citizens of this place could do nothing better that would add to the attractiveness of the town than to establish a good looking library and reading room."

And there the matter ended. We will probably never know for certain what happened to these three libraries of a century and a half ago.

With the coming of the Civil War, we have no knowledge of library facilities in Scott County. Probably the only books available were those contained in private collections.

In 1899 a law was passed providing for a State library Commission. In that year there were 57 public libraries in Indiana; and by 1916 there were 197. Today there are 245. This development could not have been possible but for the timely generosity of another Scotsman, Andrew Carnegie, whose gifts for Indiana libraries exceeded $2,500,000.

The people in Scott County began to feel the need for another county library. Due to the moving of the Courthouse in 1874 to a more central location in the town of Scottsburg, it was decided to build the new Carnegie Library there. Scott County received $12,500 from the Carnegie fund. Through this and a small tax levy, Scott County opened its new library to the public on February 5, 1921.

In April, 1920, the librarian began to establish stations throughout the county in private homes or stores. Mrs. Ruth Storen received the first collection in Lexington. A few years later Miss Mary Wilson moved the station to her home. In 1930 the librarian and the library board decided to enlarge the station and move it to the Lexington school building. Miss Wilson continued as station librarian for seven years until 1944 when she became Assistant Librarian at the county library in Scottsburg.

Other station librarians have included Agnes Bright, Martha Renschler, Anna Middleton and Mae Hardy.

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