List of libraries in 19th-century New York City

This list includes libraries located in New York City active in the 19th century. ^[1] Included are public libraries, academic libraries, medical libraries, church libraries, government libraries, circulating libraries, and subscription libraries.

Spingler Institute, Union Square, 19th century

Advertisement for Helen Williams' Circulating Library and Fancy Store, no.304 Bowery, 1840

Rutgers Female Institute, Madison St., 1843

Merchants Exchange, reading-room, c. 1863

Mercantile Library, Clinton Hall, Astor Place, 19th century

Portrait of Ellen M. Coe, chief librarian, NY Free Circulating Library

Astor Library, Lafayette Place, 19th century (later occupied by the Public Theater)

Webster Free Circulating Library, c. late 19th century

"A Free Reading Room, N.Y. City, U.S.A." 1891

Jackson Square Branch of the N.Y. Free Circulating Library, West 13th St., c. 1893

Apprentices Library, c. 1893

New York Society Library, 1894

Aguilar Free Library, 1895

YMCA, 19th century

Ottendorfer Branch of the New York Free Circulating Library (left) Former building of the German Hospital (right); 2010 photo

Contents

• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• R
• S
• T
• U
• W
• Y

• See also
• References
• Further reading
• External links

A

• Academy of Mt. St. Vincent library ^[3]
• Aguilar Free Library (est.1886) ^[3]
• Aldine Club ^[4]
• American Bible Society ^{[3] [5]}
• American Bible Union ^[5]
• American Congregational Union ^[6]
• American Ethnological Society ^[5]
• American and Foreign Bible Society ^[5]
• American Geographical and Statistical Society ^{[3] [5]}
• American Institute (est.1828) ^{[3] [5]}
• American Institute of Mining Engineers Library ^[3]
• American Literary Association ^[5]
• American Museum of Natural History library ^[3]
• American Numismatic and Archaeological Society ^[4]
• American Seaman's Friend Society ^[3]
• American Society of Civil Engineers ^[4]
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers ^[4]
• Anglo-African Reading Room, Prince St. (est.1859) ^[7]
• Apprentices and Demilt Library, General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York ^{[5] [8] [9]}
• Aschenbroedel Verein Library ^[3]
• Association of the Bar of the City of New York ^[3]
• Astor Library ^{[5] [10] [11]}
• William H. Atree's circulating library ^[12]

B

• Bacon Literary Association ^[5]
• Bancroft Institute ^[5]
• Samuel Berrian's circulating library ^[13]
• Bowery Circulating Library; Caleb Bartlett ^[14]
• Boys' Free Reading Room ^[15]
• Broome Street Free Library ^[3]

C

• Hocquet Caritat's circulating library
• Cathedral Free Circulating Library ^[16]
• Catholic Club Library ^[3]
• Children's library ^[15]
• City Library ^[3]
• Clinton Place Female Seminary ^[5]
• College of Pharmacy of City of New York ^[3]
• College of Physicians and Surgeons ^[5]
• College of St. Francis Xavier ^{[3] [5]}
• College of Veterinary Surgeons Library ^[3]
• College Settlement Library ^[3]
• James Collins' circulating library ^[14]
• Colored Home and Hospital Library ^[3]
• Colored Orphan Asylum Library ^[3]
• Columbia College ^[5]
• Cooper Institute ^[5]
• Courtland-Street Library; William Stodart ^[17]

D

• De Witt Memorial Free Library ^[3]

E

• Ecelectic Medical College Library ^[3]
• Episcopal Historical Society ^[5]
• Episcopal Theological Seminary ^[5]
• Equitable Life Assurance Social Law Library ^[3]

F

• Five Points Mission ^[15]
• Francis' circulating library ^[6]
• Franklin Library; Mr. Lockwood ^[14]
• Free Academy ^[5]
• Free Circulating Library for the Blind ^[4]

G

• Gaelic Society ^[4]
• Genealogical and Biographical Society Library ^[3]
• General Theological Seminary Library ^[3]
• German Hospital and Dispensary Library ^[3]
• A.T. Goodrich's circulating library ^[14]
• Grammar School no.21, Holbrook Library
• Grolier Club (est.1884)

H

• Harlem Law Library ^[4]
• Harlem Library ^[3]
• Health Department library ^[3]
• Helmich & Co.'s German circulating library ^[18]
• Horsfall's French circulating library ^[6]
• House of Detention for Witnesses library ^[3]
• House of Refuge ^[5]

I

• I.O. of O.F. Library ^[19]
• Institute for the Deaf and Dumb ^[5]
• Institution for the Blind ^{[3] [5]}
• Irving Literary Union ^{[5] [20]}
• Italian Free Reading-Room and Library ^[15]

J

• Juvenile Asylum ^[5]

K

• Adolph Kirsten's German library ^[21]

L

• La Salle Academy library ^[3]
• Lenox Library (est.1871)
• Liter. Geselleschaft of Morrisania library ^[3]
• Lorraine library ^[15]
• Lyceum of Natural History ^[5]

M

• Maimonides Library Association ^{[3] [22]}
• Manhattan College Library ^[3]
• Maritime Exchange library ^[4]
• Masonic Library ^[4]
• Mechanical Engineers Library ^[3]
• Mechanics' Institute (est.1830) ^{[5] [23]}
• Medical College and Hospital for Women library ^[3]
• Mercantile Library Association (est.1820) ^[5]
• Merchants' and Clerks' Library Association ^[5]
• Metropolis Law School library ^[3]
• Metropolitan Medical College ^[5]
• Metropolitan Museum of Art library ^[3]
• Military Service Inst. library ^[3]
• Minerva circulating library; W.B. Gilley ^[14]
• John Montgomery's circulating library ^[14]
• Mott Memorial Medical and Surg. library ^[3]
• E. M. Murden's Circulating Library and Dramatic Repository ^[14]

N

• New-York Athenaeum (est.1824) ^{[5] [24]}
• New York City Library ^[5]
• New York City Lunatic Asylum ^[5]
• New York Free Circulating Library ^{[3] [25]}
• New York Historical Society ^[5]
• New York Hospital ^{[3] [5]}
• New York Law Institute ^{[5] [26]}
• New York Law School library ^[3]
• New York Medical College ^[5]
• New York Normal College library ^[3]
• New York Port Society Library ^[4]
• New York Public Library (est.1895)
• New-York Sacred Music Society (est.1823) ^[24]
• New York Society Library
• New York State Colonization Society, Omacatl Society ^[5]

O

• Odd Fellows' Library ^[4]
• Olivet Library ^[3]
• Joseph Osborn's circulating library ^[27]

P

• Parthenon Circulating Library and Reading Room ^{[14] [28]}
• Peck Memorial Library ^[3]
• Players' Club library ^[4]
• Post grad. med. school and hospital library ^[3]
• G.B. Powell's Book Store and Circulating Library, 134 Bowery ^[29]
• Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions ^{[3] [5]}
• Printers' Free Library (est.1823) ^[5]
• Prison Association library ^[3]
• Produce Exchange library ^[4]
• Public School, 14th Ward ^[5]
• Public School (20th Ward) Library ^[5]

R

• William Radde's German circulating library ^[29]
• Railroad Men's Building library ^[3]
• Riverside Free Library ^[3]
• Rutgers Female Institute ^[5]

S

• St. Agnes' Free Library ^[3]
• St. Barnabas' Free Reading Room ^[3]
• St. George's Free Circulating Library ^[3]
• St. John's College library ^[3]
• St. Luke's Hospital ^[5]
• St. Mark's Memorial Chapel, free library ^[15]
• Seamen's library, Pike St. ^[15]
• Seamen's Friend Society Library ^{[4] [5]}
• Spingler Institute (est.1849), Union Square ^[5]
• John Stagner's circulating library ^[30]

T

• Teacher's College, Bryson Library ^[3]
• Trow Directory library ^[3]

U

• Union Theological Seminary ^[5]
• University Club Library ^[3]
• University of the City of New York ^[5]
• University Settlement library (est.1892) ^[3]

W

• Webster Free Circulating Library (est.1894) ^[3]
• Washington Heights Free Library, Amsterdam Ave. ^{[3] [15]}
• Washington Institute ^[5]
• Westermann's German circulating library ^[6]
• T. Whybrew's circulating library ^[14]
• Helen Williams' circulating library ^{[29] [30]}
• Woman's Library, no.19 Clinton Place ^{[3] [15]}
• Women's Free Reading-Room and Library, no.16 Clinton Place ^[15]
• Women's Medical College of New York ^[3]
• Workingmen's Free Reading-Room and Library ^[15]

Y

• YMCA of Greater New York ^[5]
• YMCA ^[5]
• YWCA library (est.1870) ^[3]

See also

• Books in the United States
• List of New York Public Library Branches

References

1. Pre-19th century libraries in New York included, for example, the commercial circulating library of Garrat Noel, bookseller, c. 1760s
2. Library Journal, 1887
3. Weston Flint (1893), Statistics of Public Libraries in the United States and Canada, Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, OL   20512177M
4. King's handbook of New York City. 1893
5. William Jones Rhees (1859), Manual of public libraries, institutions, and societies, Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co., OCLC   3991453, OL   6937678M
6. Norton's Literary and Educational Register for 1854
7. Elizabeth McHenry. "'An Association of Kindred Spirits': Black Readers and their Reading Rooms." Institutions of Reading: the Social Life of Libraries in the United States. Boston: University of Massachusetts Press, 2007
8. "The General Society || Library". Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
9. Tom Glynn. Books for a reformed republic: the apprentices' library of New York City, 1820-1865. Libraries & Culture 34.4 (Fall 1999)
10. Supplement to the Astor Library Catalogue. NY: 1866
11. Edwards, Edward (1869), Free town libraries, their formation, management, and history, London: Trübner & co., OL   14008658M
12. New York City directory for 1842 and 1843
13. Longworth's American almanac, New-York register and city directory. 1808
14. James Hardie (1827), The description of the city of New York, NY: Samuel Marks
15. Appleton's Dictionary of New York and its vicinity. 1898
16. O'Rourke, M. M. "History of the Cathedral Free Circulating Library of New York City (1887-1905)." Catholic Literary World 25 (1954): 115-19.
17. New York Annual Register. 1833
18. Advertisement in: E. Porter Belden. New York, past, present, and future: comprising a history of the city of New York, a description of its present condition, and an estimate of its future increase. NY: Putnam, 1849
19. Doggett's New York City Directory. 1848
20. "Irving Literary Union." New York Times, Dec. 2, 1852
21. Doggett's New York City Directory. 1848
22. Trow's New York City Directory. 1857
23. "Mechanics' Institute". The General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York. Archived from the original on March 3, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
24. New York Annual Register. 1833
25. "Reading for the people." New York Times, March 7, 1890
26. "404". Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2010.{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
27. Longworth's American almanac, New-York register and city directory]. 1808
28. Catalogue of the Parthenon Circulating Library and Reading Rooms. New York: Charles S. Francis. 1834.
29. A.E. Wright's Boston, New York, Philadelphia & Baltimore, commercial directory. 1840
30. New York City directory for 1842 and 1843

Further reading

• James Hardie (1827), The description of the city of New York, NY: Samuel Marks
• E. Porter Belden. "Literature, Science, and Taste." New York, past, present, and future: comprising a history of the city of New York, a description of its present condition, and an estimate of its future increase. NY: Putnam, 1849
• Libraries in New York City. Norton's Literary and Educational Register for 1854.
• "New York (City): Free Circulating Libraries." American annual cyclopaedia and register of important events of the year 1886. NY: Appleton & Co., 1889
• "Libraries and Reading Rooms." King's handbook of New York City, 2nd ed. 1893.
• "Libraries of New York." James Grant Wilson. The memorial history of the City of New-York: from its first settlement to the year 1892, Volume 4. New York History Co., 1893
• Statistics of New York Libraries for 1894. State Library Bulletin, June 1895
• "Libraries in New York City." Public Libraries 1:7, Nov. 1896
• "Libraries of the City of New York." Libraries of Greater New York. NY: New York Library Club, 1902
• Hedbavny, L. "Some Leisure-Time Organizations in New York City, 1830-1870: Clubs, Lyceums, and Libraries." Master's thesis, New York University, 1952.
• Harold Augenbraum. New York's Oldest Public Libraries. RBM 1 no2 (2000), 145-60
• T. Glynn. Books in the public sphere: New York libraries and the culture-building enterprise (dissertation). Auburn University, NY.

External links

• Princeton University. Davies Project. American Libraries before 1876.
• New York Public Library. Photo of Aguilar Free Circulating Library East Broadway, Reference Room
• New York Public Library. Photo of New York Free Circulating Library, Branch no. 1, 1899