Civic Pride in a Lost America: Library Postcards
Public Libraries of Virginia
Charlottesville
The Library is part of a regional consortium, but the Beaux-Arts building now houses the Albermarle Charlottesville Historical Society.
Curt Teich printed this postcard for J.P. Bell in 1921.
Courtland (Walter Cecil Rawls Museum and Library)
At first glance, this could be a motel postcard.
Apparently, between 1980 and 1999, the museum departed for another home. The library has been modified and serves as its county (Southampton) headquarters.
Culpeper
Fincastle (Botetourt County Library)
Now the Fincastle Library.
This was an 1897 jail converted to a library. The current library building is much smaller, but certainly a better facility for the purpose.
This is an odd Mike Roberts/Asheville Post Card, with a SAMPLE designation and a stamped date, May 8, 1969.
Fredericksburg (Wallace Library)
Built 1911. Replaced, 1969, into a much larger school building. Believed extant.
Curt Teich postcard, mailed in 1924.
Lawrenceville
Replaced.
Tichnor Bros. linen finish card, likely from the 1940s.
Lynchburg (Jones Memorial Library)
The second oldest public library in Virginia (surprisingly, opened in 1908) is in memory of George Morgan Jones, whose work was carried on by his widow. The building now serves as a genealogy and history library.
According to the Tuck postcard, mailed in 1907:
THE JONES MEMORIAL LIBRARY, erected in 1906, is a gift of Mary Frances Jones in memory of her husband, George M. Jones. The structure, which is located on Rivermont Avenue, is built in the Grecian Ionic style, with massive granite columns adorning the front. Cost of construction, $50,000, with an endowment of $60,000.
Newport News
No longer in use (replaced): current use unknown.
Another interesting example of how publishers treat the same subject differently.
(L) Tichnor Quality View, mailed in 1948.
(R) 1934 Curt Teich card showing Georgian Revival architecture. That medical arts building in the background looks like it may have been a hotel at one point in time.
Richmond
The powers that be turned down two Carnegie grants. As a result, there was no public library service in the city until 1924. This building, the Dooley Library, opened in 1930.
Interestingly, service, albeit segregated, was offered to the African-American community in 1925.
This Colourpicture linen-finish card was nearly mailed to the 'Good Morning' program of WREX-TV, channel 13, in Rockford, Illinois. I suspect somebody's postcard collection was raided.
Roanoke
Unbelievably, Roanoke's library appears to lack a dedicated web site, much less a history page. Wikipedia does have a page dedicated to its Gainsboro segregated branch, built in 1941.
This is a linen finish Asheville Post Card, apparently dating to the 1930s.
(L) Dexter Press postcard.
(R) Meyer Post Card, with downtown Roanoke in the background.
This building is likely from the late 1940s or early 1950s, judging from the newer postcards' styling and the architecture of the building. I believe it has either been replaced or heavily remodeled, as the current building is more Neogeorgian in design.
Suffolk (Morgan Memorial Library)
Built in 1959, replaced in 1986.
One of Suffolk's branches is named Chuckatuck. We are childishly amused.
The Lusterchrome card dates between 1959 and 1962.
Winchester (Handley Library)
It looks like it belongs on an ancient college campus. It was built in 1913, gained an addition in 1979, and was completely renovated in 2001. This is an example of Beaux-Arts done right.
(L) Linen finish post card printed by Tichnor for the Shenandoah News Agency.
(R) Earlier card scans poorly, but shows some interesting details.
