• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

SC Picture Project

The purpose of the South Carolina Picture Project is to celebrate the beauty of the Palmetto State while preserving some of its vanishing landscapes.

  • FIND A LANDMARK
    • BY CITY
    • BY COUNTY
    • BY CATEGORY
    • BYGONE LANDMARKS
  • ADD IMAGES
  • VOLUNTEER
  • SPONSORS
  • DONATE

Sumter Carnegie Library

SC PICTURE PROJECT Leave a Comment

SC Picture Project / Sumter County / Sumter Carnegie Library

The Sumter Carnegie Library was built in 1917 with aid from the Carnegie Foundation, finally establishing a formal library in the town of Sumter after more than 100 years of book-lending services provided by local civic organizations. The Carnegie Foundation was founded by business magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie for the purpose of donating funds to establish libraries all over the world. From 1883 through 1929, 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built and made available to the public – 1,689 in the United States alone. The Sumter Carnegie Library was one of 14 public libraries the foundation helped build in South Carolina.

Sumter Carnegie Library

Bill Segars of Hartsville, 2009 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

In the 1930s Sumter County received a Works Projects Administration grant with the help of the county department of education and the Sumter County Council of Farm Women. These funds were used to secure the county’s first bookmobile in order to provide books to people in the rural corners of the county. The library increased in popularity, and the county’s first formally-trained librarian, Jean Cochran, was hired in 1945. Library services and public outreach continued to grow over the next two decades, culminating in the racial integration of the library in 1963.

Sumter Library

Bill Segars of Hartsville, 2009 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

By 1968 a larger library was completed to further accommodate the county’s residents, most of whom lived in the town of Sumter, and the library’s bookmobile services continued to reach people living outside the city, even expanding into neighboring Clarendon County. The Sumter Carnegie Library building has housed the Sumter County Historical Research Center since 1994, which includes the Sumter County Genealogical Society and the Sumter County Museum Archives.

The Sumter Carnegie Library is listed in the National Register:

Sumter’s first and only public library from 1917 to 1968, was one of the 1,679 public libraries built in the United States with funding from the Carnegie Corporation, and represents the trend towards the establishment of public libraries in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This simple Beaux Arts building was designed by local architects J. Herbert Johnson and N. Gaillard Walker, in conjunction with Secretary James Bertram of the Carnegie Corporation. This building represents the progressive and civic-minded nature of the citizens of Sumter during the first decade of the twentieth century, as well as the social responsibility displayed by Andrew Carnegie. Though the $10,000 cost of construction was funded by the Carnegie Corporation, the operation and maintenance of the library was the financial responsibility of the city of Sumter. The Sumter Civic League raised money to purchase books for the library. The building was a center for learning for the citizens of the city for a large part of the twentieth century.

Reflections on the Sumter Carnegie Library


Contributor Bill Segars, who sent us the above photo, shares some personal history connected to the construction of the Sumter Carnegie Library: “This brick was made by my wife’s Great Grandfather Ryttenberg. He owned the Sumter Brick Works Company, which made brick in Sumter from the early 1900s until the late 1920s. He was one of the first to make a ‘multi-colored,’ or brown bodied, brick; other companies made red brick. His slogan was ‘It’s so damn ugly, it’s pretty.’ His wit as a salesman combined with his excellent product and the ability to ship on rail. He was able to sell brick made in Sumter to many of the large houses and buildings from New York to Florida, including the Ringling Bros. headquarters in Sarasota.”

Add your own reflections here.

Plan Your Trip: Sumter Carnegie Library

Where is Sumter Carnegie Library located?
Address: 219 West Liberty Street, Sumter, SC 29150
GPS Coordinates: 33.920940,-80.346076
What else should I see?
Temple Sinai 0.1 mile
Sumter Opera House 0.4 mile
Bultman Brothers Building 0.4 mile
Sumter County Courthouse 0.5 mile
Show me more like this!
  • See other South Carolina Carnegie Libraries
  • See other South Carolina Libraries
  • See other South Carolina National Register
  • Sumter Historic Sites
    Sumter Carnegie Library Map

    Please Help Us Stay Online

    We’d like thank everyone who generously supports the South Carolina Picture Project. You provide us with the inspiration and financial support we need to keep doing what we do. Every reader’s contribution, larger or small, is valuable. If you have enjoyed this website or found it helpful, please pitch in. Each donation helps – and it only takes a minute. Thank you!

    Support the SC Picture Project!

    $ 50.00
    Select Payment Method
    Personal Info

    Credit Card Info
    This is a secure SSL encrypted payment.

    Donation Total: $50.00

    You may also like

    You may also like

    Sumter County Court HouseSumter County Courthouse Default ThumbnailCamden Carnegie Library Williamsburg County LibraryWilliamsburg County Carnegie Library Default ThumbnailTemple Sinai Elizabeth White HouseElizabeth White House

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    FIND A LANDMARK

    Why This Site Matters

    Help Keep This Site Online

    We depend on the support of today’s readers to document South Carolina’s landmarks for future readers. Please help us continue this important work by making a donation below.

    $ 50.00
    Select Payment Method
    Personal Info

    Credit Card Info
    This is a secure SSL encrypted payment.

    Donation Total: $50.00

    Recent Posts

    • H.L. Hunley
    • Strand Theater
    • Camden Depot
    • Charleston City Marina
    • Secession Hill

    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

    Footer

    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

    CONTACT US

    We’d love to hear from you! Send us a quick email at share@scpictureproject.org.

    If you are looking for permission to use a photo, please reach out directly to the photographer listed in the image’s credit.

    JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

    The South Carolina Picture Project has two Facebook groups. One is dedicated to SC Historic Landmarks and Iconic Landscapes, and the other is dedicated to SC Nature and Wildlife.

    South Carolina Picture Project © 2022 · All Rights Reserved