The Carnegie Library
Carnegie libraries were appearing all over the country at the turn of the last century. Negotiations with the Carnegie Corporation for a library in Monroe County began on March 15, 1901, and a pledge of $15,000 was received later that year on December 21. Five days later, the matter was given to the Commercial Club 
to work on getting community support for a library levy. By July 1902 there had still been no agreement on the necessary tax. Consequently, the question of accepting a construction grant from the Carnegie Corporation was postponed for more than a decade.E. M. C. Hobbs, president of the Library Board, re-established contact with the Carnegie Corporation in 1913. According to the Bloomington Weekly Courier of April 2, the library board planned to bid $12,000 the following Saturday on a lot at 6th and Washington St., which had formerly been occupied by a school for "colored" persons, and before that had been a township school. On November 7, 1913, Carnegie sent another offer to the city of Bloomington for $27,500. In a letter dated April 7, 1915, Mr. Hobbs stated that the lot was purchased for $12,000. The next several months were spent trying to secure a larger grant amount to construct a finer building. These efforts were rewarded on September 29, 1915, with the promise of $31,000 from the Carnegie Corporation. Wilson B. Parker of Indianapolis was hired as the architect for the project. An objection to the blueprints, especially for a lecture room in the basement, delayed approval of the plans until April 4, 1917. Dedicated February 1, 1918, the facility opened with Miss Catherine C. Ashman as librarian over a collection of 6,300 volumes.This structure remained the library's home until a new facility was constructed in 1970. The former Carnegie Library Building is now on the National Register of Historic Places. It currently houses the Monroe County History Center [1] and the Genealogy Library.
