Local and Personal News for Douglasville - January 31, 1901

From the Douglas County Sentinel – January 31, 1901

Mrs. W.A. Nee spent last Monday in Austell

Mr. and Mrs. S.A. Griffith spent Sunday and Monday in Atlanta

Mr. Lonnie New spent Sunday here with his people. He is still in the railroad service and is making his employers a good man.

Mr. J.T. Duncan bought 20 acres of land from Mr. W.F Entrekin Wednesday. The property is located in the southwest portion of <town>.

Mrs. G.B. Lindsey who was on the sick list several days of last week, as about recovered

One week ago Miss Mildred Thompson changed her place of abode from Douglasville to Elberton this week. She was joined by her mother. Mrs. Thompson left for her new home Wednesday.

Fresh garden seed and onion sets at Duke’s Drug Store.

Just received a fine line of crockery and glassware at Stokely’s

Mssrs. J.T. McElreath and J.M. Morris  exchanged horses this week and they have talked so much about swapping since the trade that they are about to be styled as regular horse jockeys.

Mr. and Mrs. Boatwright were here Saturday getting pension money and were made to feel good by the manner in which they had been remembered by the <….>. They reside in Wisconsin.

Valentines! Valentines! Young men buy one for your girl at the drug store.

Miss Carrie Bennett has returned home from Atlanta  Her visit to the Gate City was an extensive one over several weeks and she was several times complemented in a social way while there.

Friday evening the Literary Society will assemble at 7 pm at the residence of Col J.S. James

The municipal elect will take place next Monday and it will be about as quiet as an event of the kind could be.

The ticket nominated at the recent ordinary <…..> put in office without any opposition.

Will Riley jumped from a runaway team last Saturday and broke one of his legs The wagon was loaded with wood, was drawn by two mules ad were the property of Mr. J.S. Abercrombie. No damage was done to vehicle or mules.

Rev Fletcher Walton, new pastor of Epworth Church in Atlanta is constantly improving in health when in Douglasville. He was quite feeble and his friends here will be glad to know that he is getting the better of his affliction. Mr. Walton states that he intends some time in the near future to make another visit to douglasville.

Mrs. T.A. McLarty, Mrs. W.H. Roach, Mr. John Roach, Miss Maud Roach, Mrs. E.C. Haynes, Mrs. Lizzie Dixon and Mr. Henry Reese returned to their respective homes in Texas and Arkansas last  week. They were here visiting relatives and Mr. AG Weddington announces that he has heard from all that they arrived at their destinations safely.

In commenting a few days ago about the need of a public library in Douglasville, Col. JR Hutcheson advances some fine ideas and said that were a movement started for such an institution he would contribute $10. That a public Library would be a help to our town there is no question and there are enough people here to establish one, but will they do it? It is a matter well worthy of consideration.

Several bales of cotton have been on the streets of Douglasville this week and there is more in the county yet to be sold. This is evidence of prosperity and a good one.

On the night of January 3 a group of men armed to the teeth entered the home of a negro man who resided in Campbell, just across the line from Douglas County, and when they left his dwelling place he was dead. Three men arrested in suspicion have been bound over to the superior court and warrants are out for two more. The negro had been demanded to vacate a place he had leased for three years and his failure to do so is supposed to have led to the unlawful deed.

Miss Nannie Lewis is on a visit to relatives in Buchanan and will spend several weeks there.

J.Q. Entrekin & Company is the name of the firm that is doing business at the stand of the Douglas County Cooperative Store. They bought the stock of goods carried by the Co-operative Company The firm consists of J.Q. Entrekin and J.T. Duncan.

Because of his failure to lower the flag over the city hall in respect to England’s dead queen, Mayor Edwards has laid himself liable to criticism. It is not supposed  Mr. Edwards would intentionally omit a thing of this kind and it is likely that the reminders he has received will culminate in bringing the flag to half mast Saturday, the day of the interment.

The Log Cabin Library at Lithia Springs

I've written concerning how the library in Douglasville came to be here, but the efforts at Lithia Springs were entirely separate....in the beginning, and predated the folks in Douglasville by thirty-seven years.

The Lithia Springs project was spearheaded by the women in the community. The library would be housed in a log cabin that sat north of the railroad tracks. They decided to fund the library by holding a box supper and invited the general public. A Sentinel article from the time reported the event was well attended...especially by the men in the area. They enthusiastically bid on the dinners and bought chances to win quilts the ladies displayed.

The Sentinel article goes on to say, "The ladies of Lithia Springs are eternally grateful to the boosters for the nice donation of $25 to build a chimney to their beloved Log Cabin Library which was in danger of being left in the cold, as Lithia Springs is building a new school house and now feeling a might poor. Some of these days they will return the favor when Douglasville and her boosters turn their full attention to such institutions in their town."

The boosters the Sentinel spoke of were a group of businessmen in Douglasville who were headed, at the time, by Dr. Tom Whitley.

The Lithia Springs Log Cabin library was governed by the Lithia Springs Library Association with Miss Lily Reynolds, a school teacher and outspoken promoter of the library project, at the helm.

Volunteers made up the library staff, and in those early days the library was open to the public from two to four o'clock on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday afternoons.

The book collection was described as "marvelous" and circulation and membership seemed quite good. A fine of one cent per day was charged for books kept over 14 days.

In 1917, Mrs. George Bass and Captain J.C. Joyner laid a brick walk from the porch to the sidewalk. The library was used at this time for various women's meetings and also served as the town hall for town council meetings.

At some point around 1918, Miss Reynolds left the area and interest in the library began to decline. Sadly, the building burned down in the late 1940s. However, one book, a Bible, survived the fire, and is a treasured relic at the Lithia Springs Library today.

I've looked through several collections of old photos taken in and around Douglas County. I've yet to see a picture of the old log cabin, but would be greatly interested in seeing and sharing one.

The efforts to maintain a public library at Lithia Springs took off again when Mrs. Annette Winn, principal of what was then Lithia Springs Elementary School wanted her students to have more access to reference materials than what the school board could afford for the school. Fannie Mae Davis advises in her book Douglas County: From Indian Trail to I-20 that Mrs. Winn was never one to leave a stone unturned, if it concerned a benefit for her beloved adopted Douglas County and her own community of Lithia Springs.

At last there was a reason for hope with the founding of West Georgia Regional Library in Carrollton. After the library's bookmobile service was inaugurated, Mrs. Winn contacted the director, Miss Edith Foster, the State Department of Library Services, and Douglas County officials, whereby permission was granted for the bookmobile to visit Lithia Springs Elementary/Annette Winn Elementary once a month. The children knew the schedule and eagerly awaited the monthly visits. A library was needed. Mrs. Winn and Miss Foster talked with parents, civic groups and clubs to get their interest.

Finally, it was decided that the little courthouse located in Lithia Springs near the fire department would be the perfect location. I've written about the little courthouses here.

The front room of the little building was made available and volunteers from the local Ruritan Club built bookshelves. Mrs. Betty Hagler took over as the librarian on a volunteer basis.

Fannie Mae Davis continues, in May, 1963, East Douglas County Library opened. The first library board was comprised of Mrs. Annette Winn, chairman; Mrs. A.B. Craven, Mr. George P. Argo; Mrs. Agnes Green, Mrs. Ethelyn Cooper, Mr. Louie Wood, and Mrs. Edith Foster the West Georgia Regional director served as an advisor. Mrs. Hagler continued as librarian, but on a salary. The library was now open for longer hours.

They registered 200 people in the first week alone. Of course, it didn't take long for the small front room of the Lithia Springs little courthouse to overflow with books and library patrons. A larger space was needed and the library that you and I know as the Lithia Springs Library was opened in the late 1970s.

A Library for Douglasville

A little blurb in an issue of The Sentinel dated 1913 states, “The ladies of Lithia Springs are eternally grateful to the Douglasville Boosters [a group of Douglasville businessmen] for the nice donation of $25 to build a chimney to their beloved Log Cabin Library which was in danger of being left in the cold, as Lithia Springs is building a new school house and now feeling mighty poor.  Some of these days they will return the favor when Douglasville and her boosters turn their attention to such institutions in their town.”

Unfortunately, the ladies of Lithia Springs had to wait a long time to pay their debt because the public library in Douglasville didn’t open its doors until 1950.

From 1888 on people in Douglasville had access to the library at Douglasville College, but once the school closed in 1914 the city was without a lending library for many years.

In her history of Douglas County, Fannie May Davis points to J.R. Hutcheson, an attorney and Superior Court judge as the person who began a campaign to educate others on the need for a public library. 

It took a few years for Hutchinson’s opinions to take hold.  The Douglasville Boosters were busy building railroads, mills, hotels, banks and other businesses.   Folks knew it would be fantastic to have a lending library, but other needs kept taking precedence, and then the Great Depression hit followed by World War II.    According to Mrs. Davis it was 1949 before “various individuals and civic organizations [supported] the need for a public library.”  

Mrs. Davis advises, “The auspicious years following World War II brought on a new era with a wave of technology which included electric lines running to our Georgia farms, television in every household; and hundreds of other inventions for man’s benefit and enjoyment, unheard of in the past.   New ideas abounded, even the map of the world had changed in few years.  Public libraries were adding new materials in every category of their collection; technical equipment had found its way into library service with the promise of much yet to come.   Douglas County could wait no longer.  The time of mere talk and wishful thinking was past.”

A town hall meeting was organized.   Robert Griggs used his column in the The Sentinel to discuss the amount of state and federal funds the city was losing each year because citizens didn’t have a public library they could access nearby. 

Credit is given to the Douglas County Business and Professional Women’s Club for setting money aside specifically for the purpose to begin a public library.   A library consultant with the Georgia State Board of Education spoke at a meeting for the group and advised there were state grants.  She encouraged  county officials to make an immediate application.  Early library grants provided as much as $700 for books and a one-time grant for the establishment of a library for $300.

A library board was finally set up with Robert Griggs as the chairman with Hugh Webb, Lottie Banks, and Minnie Kate James as members.   Ms. James was also appointed as the treasurer, and she remained in that position until her death in 1969.

This first effort included raising matching funds to qualify for a state grant for $1,000.   At this point the majority of citizens were on board, and they received unanimous response from civic and religious organizations as well as other county and municipal boards.

Ruth Warren accepted the position of librarian and in June, 1950 books and magazines were being ordered to fill the shelves.

The next item on the agenda was a location for the library.  Mr. W.Y. White owned a building at the corner of Bowden and Broad Streets….now referred to as the Dennis Connally building.   He offered the second floor of his building rent free.   It was a deal too good to pass up.

During the summer volunteers worked on building shelves and painting the space. 

This is where Douglas County citizen Margaret (Rowe) McMichen, wife of county inspector Zollie McMichen figures into the story.  Margaret’s grandson Blake McMichen and his wife Donna advise me that Margaret (known to her friends as Mick) was an avid reader, quilter, and mother to five busy kids.

 

Fannie Mae Davis relates, “It was a happy day for Margaret [(Rowe) McMichen] when, in 1950, she read in the The Sentinel that a move was underway to establish a public library in Douglasville.  Margaret was one of the first patrons.  No one enjoyed the library more than she.

On observing the small collection of books in the new library, Margaret selected over 100 books from her own quite extensive home library and donated them to Douglas County Library.  Her gift of books was not all.  She[arrived at the library] one day with a beautiful hand-embroidered, outdoor scene, appropriate for a wall decoration.  That beautiful piece of art has adorned a wall in the local library for over 40 years.  Artists have been known to sketch the scene and many viewers stand before it in admiration."

I’ve walked by the embroidered piece often and have admired it through the years.   Here is Mick’s creation:

Margaret (Rowe) McMichen's embroidery she donated to the Douglas County Public Library 

Fannie Mae Davis continues, “Margaret died in early 1973.  Soon after their mother’s death, her children, Bessie M. Porter, Janet L. Umphrey, James, Jerry, and David McMichen, made a memorial gift of money to the Douglas County Public Library, with a request that it be used for books.  A fine set of encyclopedias was purchased for the library in loving memory of Margaret.”

The library formally opened on September 6, 1950 which 2,000 books on the shelves.  Over one hundred patrons registered for a library card that first day with the honor of first patron going to fourteen-year-old Barbara Rainwater.

By 1956, a little over eight thousand books had been checked out.

It wasn’t long before Edith Foster with the West Georgia Regional Library met with the library board regarding a merger with Douglas.   The regional library included libraries in Carroll, Heard, and Haralson Counties, and a merger would include according to Mrs. Davis “a much larger and more varied group of materials” for Douglas citizens.   Services would also include a book mobile which would distribute needed books to each public school.    

There is always a catch, though, right?  

In order to be part of the regional group $3,000 would need to be raised towards the bookmobile and $1,200 would have to be budgeted annually towards it. Thankfully the Douglas County Board of Education saw the wisdom in the merger and voted to participate.   Douglas Grammar and Douglas County High jointly held a Halloween Carnival and raised $1,000.  

A new City Hall was completed in January, 1953 at the corner of Church and Bowden Streets.  One wing of the new building was set aside for the library.  Fannie May Davis advised this was about the same time the Douglas County Board of Commissioners took over the support of the library and the Board of Education continued to support the bookmobile. 

Taken the day the library opened.  It was housed in the new City Hall built at the corner of  Church and Bowden

There was another move in 1958 when what we consider today to be the “old” courthouse was built in the middle of town.

Fannie Mae Davis took over as head librarian in 1961, and a couple of years later along with R.L.Smith, chairman of the Douglas County Commissioners of Roads and Revenues, applied to the Federal government through the Library Services and Construction Act for funds to build a new building.  It was a combined venture using city, county, state and federal funds.

The result was a building at the corner of Bowden and Spring Street that was opened in August, 1967.  Unfortunately, due to the library’s popularity the space was inadequate almost from the very day it opened.  Today this location houses The Sentinel offices….you can still still see the book deposit slot on the front of the building if you know where to look.

The Douglas County Public Library was once located in this building 

You can still see the book deposit slot if you look hard enough!

Mrs. Davis advises the Bowden/Spring location was designed by Sheetz and Bradfield Architects of Atlanta and built by Paige Brothers Construction Company of Dallas, Georgia.  The Town and Country  Garden Club provided landscaping.

Ruth Warren returned as head librarian in 1981 and oversaw the building of the main library’s current location on Selman Drive in 1985. 

The website for the Douglas County Public Library on Selman Drive can be located here, and you can access their online catalog here.   Other branches include Lithia Springs and the brand new Dog River Branch.

Thank you so much for stopping by.....please share this link with your friends via e-mail and Facebook!     A full column like this appears every Monday with an update of some sort on Wednesdays....

Enjoy Our Library of Paintings

I’ve been a regular patron of the Douglas County Public Library on Selman Drive for years. I’ve checked out books, sat at the tables working on projects with my children or researching a topic of my own, I’ve utilized their extensive video collection, taken advantage of  their story time and reading clubs for kids during the summer months and even enjoyed the artwork scattered along the walls.

Yes, the artwork. Notice the walls the next time you visit the library. The walls are full of pieces of art.

Some of the pieces are like old friends to me as I come and go each week, so I finally inquired with the library if they had information they could share with regarding the collection. I discovered they actually have a self-guided tour with information regarding each piece of art in their collection, and found it very helpful as I took the time the other day to visit each work of art and take photographs.