The Ottumwa Public Library is honored to announce it has received a $10,000
gift from the Carnegie Corporation of New York in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the
signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The funding is part of a broader $20 million national initiative designed to support civic
institutions that bring people together, encourage participation, and strengthen community life.
Libraries receiving the gift may use the funds however they wish to celebrate America 250,
further their mission, and benefit their communities.
The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is simultaneously the 125th anniversary
of the Ottumwa Public Library. Ottumwa is home to a historic Carnegie library, constructed in
1901 with $50,000 in funds provided by Carnegie.
What started out in January 1900 as a correspondence between local newspaper editor RH Moore
and Carnegie’s personal secretary led to the gift of $50,000 to the community of Ottumwa to
build a public library with the stipulation that the city would fund it at a minimum of $5000 per
year. After two elections it was approved by the people of Ottumwa to issue a library tax and
then the location negotiations began.
Ottumwa Public Library Director Sonja Ferrell plans to use the funds with the intention of
benefiting the original Carnegie library that the community holds in such high regard.
“This gift’s timing of our country’s milestone birthday is especially meaningful to Ottumwa
since it is also a milestone birthday for our library building,” said Ferrell. “These funds will help
us honor and preserve the Carnegie library that generations of Ottumwans are so proud of.”
Carnegie Libraries hold a special place in American history and in the hearts of generations of
Americans. Between 1886 and 1917, Scottish immigrant Andrew Carnegie funded the
construction of 1,681 free public libraries across the United States. Today, about 1,280 of those
libraries are still serving their communities.