Our Carnegie Library, like 1,679 other Carnegie Libraries in the United States, is named after Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie emigrated from Scotland to America at the age of 13 and eventually became one of the wealthiest men of his time, making his fortune in the steel industry. Recognizing that education was the foundation of his success, Carnegie aimed to provide others with the same opportunities he had experienced.

     In total, Carnegie funded the construction of over 2,500 libraries, and our library proudly counts itself among them. While he was very generous in his philanthropic efforts, Carnegie was also a businessman at heart. Therefore, he imposed certain stipulations that needed to be met before he would agree to build a library.

To establish a successful library, two essential criteria must be met:

     1. The land designated for the library must be fully owned, ensuring there are no future complications regarding ownership.

     2. Robust measures must be implemented to guarantee the library’s financial stability for years to come.

Given such requirements, it’s no surprise that his Free Library Application included inquiries about taxes, expenditures, and similar issues.

Tyler’s Carnegie Library, built in 1904, served the public until 1980 when a new library was constructed directly across the street. The 1904 library boasts several interesting historical facts:

1. This building was the first in downtown to have running water! If you visit today, you can still see the small washroom that was used.
2. During World War I, Tyler’s Red Cross organization moved its operations from the local high school to the public meeting space located on the second floor of our building. When you visit this room, you can imagine the thousands of bandages that were rolled, the boxes filled with supplies from home, and the overwhelming sense of pride and duty that must have filled the space during the war.
3. Our 1904 Carnegie Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The library is home to a mural created as part of the Public Works of Art Program (PWAP) in 1934 by artist Douthitt Wilson. The PWAP commissioned artists to depict scenes from American life, and our murals are original to the locations they occupy, which is uncommon for most PWAP commissions.

The Smith County Historical Society has been located in this historic building since the mid-1980s. We take great pride in preserving and protecting our local history, and it is an honor for us to do so from such an important site.