Willard Library

Last updated
Willard Library
Willard Library from southwest.jpg
Front and southern side of the library
USA Indiana location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location21 1st Ave., Evansville, Indiana
Coordinates 37°58′42″N87°34′27″W / 37.97833°N 87.57417°W / 37.97833; -87.57417
Area4.5 acres (1.8 ha)
Built1877
Architect James W. Reid (Reid & Reid)
Architectural styleVictorian Gothic
NRHP reference No. 72000014 [1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 28, 1972
Philanthropist Willard Carpenter Philanthropist Willard Carpenter.jpg
Philanthropist Willard Carpenter

The Willard Library is a private donation library incorporated in 1881 to serve the city of Evansville, Indiana, and to carry out the terms of a private trust. The Willard Library houses a trove of local archives and genealogical materials in addition to its collection of standard publications. It is built in the Gothic Revival style, designed by James W. Reid (of Reid & Reid). It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Contents

History

Willard Carpenter, Evansville's "pioneer of public charity," built and endowed Willard Library. He established a trust fund in 1876 about which he wrote:

"I have concluded . . . to establish and endow a public library, to be located in a public park, on land owned by me, situated in the city of Evansville. I am induced to do this in well-grounded hope that such an institution may become useful toward the improvement of the moral and intellectual culture of the inhabitants of Evansville . . . and also toward the enlargement and diffusion of a taste for the fine arts." [2]

An agent for the Underground Railroad before the Civil War, Mr. Carpenter incorporated his concern for the rights of African Americans into his requirement that the library "be maintained for the free use of all persons who may desire to consult it." This definition of a "public" library was a daring social experiment in the latter half of the nineteenth century.

The library was named "Willard Library" rather than "Carpenter Library" because, while living in Troy, New York, Carpenter became enamored with the Emma Willard School, a Troy female seminary founded by Emma Willard. He decided to found an educational institution and name it "Willard". Although initially conceived as a college, the idea was refocused to constructing a library.

The library building was started in 1876 at First Avenue and Pennsylvania Streets in Carpenter's field, a place where circuses once pitched their tents. A depressed economy halted construction in 1877. The building's foundation lay for five years unfinished. The building was resumed in 1882 and Carpenter devoted the rest of his life to the supervision of the building. He worked with the architects, hired the workmen himself, and saw to it that only the best materials were used. Reid & Reid became the architects and are credited with the design of the superstructure. The formal opening was held March 28, 1885.

Architecture

The library is built with the characteristic features of Victorian Gothic architecture. Notable architectural features employing this style include the tower, steeply pitched roofs with ornamental gables, color contrast resulting from the use of white stone and brick, and window arcades with Gothic arches. The capitals supporting the arcade arches were apparently only roughed out prior to the carving, which was never completed. Terra cotta was used extensively for exterior decoration in the form of rosettes and owls (symbols of wisdom) in roundels seen in the side gables. [3]

The interior woodwork is finished in select quarter-grain oak. The doorways and grand staircase make an imposing entrance, also in the style of Victorian Gothic architecture.

Genealogy and local history collections

Willard Library is home to a vast range of genealogy and local history special collections on their second floor. Opened in August 1976 the collections include: fifty state references, family histories in book, microform, manuscript, and loose-paper formats, Vanderburgh County newspapers from 1821 to the present, newspapers from selected surrounding counties, Vanderburgh County records (on microfilm), church records in several formats, Catholic Diocese records (on microfilm), records of local and area cemeteries and funeral homes, DAR book collection, and several online databases and three major search engines: Heritage Quest, Genealogy Bank, and Ancestry Library. [4] The Library hosts an annual "Midnight Madness" event where the library is open until midnight all week for research purposes. Genealogists and others come from all over to research family histories, etc. [5]

The Tri-State Genealogical Society formed in partnership with the Special Collections department at the library. They publish a packet every September, December, March, and June for their members.

Governance

Willard has a self-perpetuating seven-member board of directors. During all periods of its operation, Willard has been and continues to be open and free to residents of Vanderburgh County and neighboring counties. It also receives public financial support through a tax levy, though this tax levy must be approved by the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library. [6]

Haunting

The Willard Library is purported to be haunted by a specter known as the "Grey Lady", She is thought to be a girl named Louise Carpenter, daughter of Willard Carpenter. When Willard Carpenter died, he gave away the library. Louise Carpenter sued the library board in the 1890s, believing it was hers on the pretense that her father was not in a sound state of mind when he wrote his last will and testament. Louise Carpenter would go on to lose the case, and she is said to haunt the library in revenge. The first sighting of the gray lady was reported in the basement of the library in 1937 by a library custodian, who quit shortly after the encounter. [7] [8] People who have encountered the grey lady say they smelled the scent of perfume and heard strange noises. The library started putting up webcams in 1999 and currently has 6 of them.

To Evansville natives, the Grey Lady is purported to be the ghost of a former librarian whose child was injured falling from a ladder while playing during their mother’s shift at the library. She is believed to keep watch over patrons of the library, especially children, and has supposedly steadied several people who found themselves teetering on a ladder. She is said to stand in the south-facing windows on the second floor, looking out toward the train tracks and downtown area. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanderburgh County, Indiana</span> County in Indiana, United States

Vanderburgh County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 180,136. The county seat is in Evansville. While Vanderburgh County was the eighth-largest county in 2020 population in Indiana, it is also the eighth-smallest county in area and the smallest in southwestern Indiana, covering only 236 square miles (610 km2). Vanderburgh County forms the core of the Evansville metropolitan statistical area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evansville, Indiana</span> City in Indiana, United States

Evansville is a city in and the county seat of Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 census, it is Indiana's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the most populous city in Southern Indiana, and the 249th-most populous city in the United States. It is the central city of the Evansville metropolitan area, a hub of commercial, medical, and cultural activity of southwestern Indiana and the Illinois–Indiana–Kentucky tri-state area, which is home to over 911,000 people. The 38th parallel north crosses the north side of the city and is marked on Interstate 69 immediately north of its junction with Indiana 62 within the city's east side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse, often simply called the "Old Courthouse," was once the center of Vanderburgh County, Indiana government. Construction started in the spring of 1888 and was completed in November 1890. The building was ready to be occupied by the county government in early 1891. It sits in the heart of downtown Evansville.

WNIN is a PBS member television station in Evansville, Indiana, United States. Owned by WNIN Tri-State Public Media, it is sister to NPR member station WNIN-FM (88.3). The two outlets share studios in downtown Evansville and transmitter facilities near Pelzer, Indiana.

Benjamin Bosse High School, referred to as Evansville Bosse High School by the IHSAA, is a public high school of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation in Evansville, Indiana, United States. Bosse is the third smallest high school by enrollment of Vanderburgh County's nine high schools. The school is a contributing property to the Lincolnshire Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Children's Museum of Evansville</span> United States historic place

The Koch Family Children's Museum of Evansville is an interactive children's museum in Evansville, Indiana. The museum educates and inspires children about the world. Exhibits include deconstructing objects, a water exhibit that spans multiple floors, experiences about the human body and its senses, and a gallery for freedom of expression.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riverside Historic District (Evansville, Indiana)</span> Historic district in Indiana, United States

The Riverside Historic District is a U.S. historic district located in downtown Evansville, Indiana. It was added to the register in 1978 and roughly bounded by Southlane Drive, Walnut, Third, and Parrett Streets. It consists of 1,010 acres (4.1 km2) and 425 buildings. It is also known as the Riverside Neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Center Township, Vanderburgh County, Indiana</span> Township in Indiana, United States

Center Township is one of eight townships in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 39,007 and it contained 16,306 housing units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Evansville</span> Central business district in Indiana, United States

Downtown Evansville is the central business district of Evansville, Indiana. The boundaries of downtown Evansville have changed as the city has grown, but they are generally considered to be between Canal Street at the south and east, the Lloyd Expressway to the north, Pigeon Creek to the northwest, and the Ohio River to the southeast south and southwest. Downtown Evansville is entirely within Pigeon Township.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Vanderburgh County, Indiana</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Vanderburgh County, Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum</span> Arena in Indiana, United States

The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum is a multi-purpose auditorium and meeting space in downtown Evansville, Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willard Carpenter House</span> Historic house in Indiana, United States

The Willard Carpenter House, located at 405 Carpenter Street in downtown Evansville, Indiana, is one of two landmarks recognized as memorials to one of the city's most influential pioneers, philanthropist Willard Carpenter. The other is Willard Library which he built, endowed and gave to the people of the area. Willard Carpenter, born on March 15, 1803, at Strafford, Orange County, Vermont, was a son of Willard, Sr., and Polly (Bacon) Carpenter, and a descendant of the noted Rehoboth Carpenter family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masonic Temple (Evansville, Indiana)</span> United States historic place

The Masonic Temple in Evansville, Indiana, USA, is a building from 1913. It was designed by the local architects Shopbell & Company in Classical Revival style. The lodge building once hosted three separately chartered Masonic lodges: Evansville Lodge, Reed Lodge and Lessing Lodge. The building measures 72 x 104 feet, with four stories above ground and a basement. The exterior walls of the first two floors are faced with stone and the stories above are trimmed with both stone and terracotta. The interior floors and partitions are supported by steel columns and girders, also following the Roman classic order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Morgan Evans</span> American politician

General Robert Morgan Evans was born in Frederick County, Virginia. In 1803 in the town of Paris, Kentucky, he was married to Jane Trimble, a sister of Judge Robert Trimble of the Supreme Court of the United States. Evans, for whom Evansville, Indiana is named, did not actually found the city, but his influence played a role in determining the future of the town. He was the tenth Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnegie Library (Muncie, Indiana)</span> United States historic place

The Carnegie Library is a historic Carnegie library located at Muncie, Indiana, United States. The building houses the Local History & Genealogy collection and an open computer lab. The facility also provides wireless access and a meeting room for local groups to reserve. It is one of four branches that make up the Muncie Public Library System. The building was made possible through a financial donation to the City of Muncie by Andrew Carnegie to expand their library system throughout the community. The foundation for Carnegie Library was built in 1902 and the building opened to the public in 1904. It has been in continuous use as a library since its opening. The building is located in downtown Muncie at the intersection of Jackson and Jefferson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shopbell & Company</span>

Shopbell & Company was an American architectural firm located in Evansville, Indiana, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library</span> Public library system in Evansville, Indiana

The Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library (EVPL) is a public library system serving Evansville and Vanderburgh County in Indiana, USA. The EVPL also supplements the services provided by the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation and has the authority to approve the tax levy of the independently run and operated Willard Library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bethel AME Church of Crawfordsville</span> Historic church in Indiana, United States

Bethel AME Church of Crawfordsville is a historic African Methodist Episcopal church located at Crawfordsville, Montgomery County, Indiana. It was built in 1892, and is a one-story, gable fronted frame building on a brick foundation. It features a large round-arched window and two-story, square corner tower. Portions of the building are believed to date to 1847. Also on the property is a contributing one-story, Queen Anne style cottage that served as the original parsonage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Former Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Residence</span> United States historic place

Former Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Residence is a historic jail and sheriff's residence located in downtown Evansville, Indiana. It was built in 1891, and is a 2+1⁄2-story, rusticated limestone building modeled after Schloss Lichtenstein. It features a central round tower or "keep", stepped gables, crenellated roofline, and turrets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Vanderburgh County Jail</span> American Historic Place

The Old Vanderburgh County Jail, commonly referred to as "the Old Jail," was built in 1890 in Evansville, Indiana. The Old Jail is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Old Jail consists of two different structures that are attached: (1) the actual jail and (2) the former Vanderburgh County sheriff's residence.

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ↑ History of Vanderburgh County. Madison, Wisconsin: Brant and Fuller, 1889, p. 322.
  3. ↑ "Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD)" (Searchable database). Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. Retrieved 2016-08-01.Note: This includes unknown (n.d.). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Willard Library" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-01. and Accompanying photographs
  4. ↑ www.grayloon.com, Gray Loon Marketing Group. "Willard Library". www.willard.lib.in.us. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
  5. ↑ "Willard Library hosts "Midnight Madness" for genealogy research". 14news.com. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
  6. ↑ State Willard Library v. Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library, Ind. Ct. of Appeals, No. 82A01-0510-CV-479.
  7. ↑ Webb, Jon (25 October 2021). "Evansville's Grey Lady ghost still 'messing with' employees, patrons at Willard Library". www.courierpress.com. Courier & Press. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  8. ↑ "The story of The Grey Lady, Willard Public Library's ghost". River City Weekend. 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  9. ↑ Ryan. "Children's Room GhostCam". Grey Lady Ghost. Retrieved 2023-08-13.

Further reading


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.