Home  Historical Attractions The Portsmouth Public Library
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The Portsmouth Public Library |
 The first library was started in 1831. Mrs. Eliza DuPuy had written and had published her first book, the title of which was “Morton, Late OF Revolution.” Her circle of friends, which included Dr. Hempstead, Judge William V. Peck, Edward Hamilton, John Glover and Francis Cleveland, decided to donate books from their private collections to this early library which was located on the corner of Front and Market Streets. However, local residents did not show much interest, so the library was closed and the books donated to the YMCA. To offset the loss of the library, Mary and Maggie Peebles established “reading rooms” in their home on Front Street, assisted by David Ramey and his two daughters, Adella and Venetia, who donated books for the enterprise. A nominal fee was charged to help cover the cost of maintenance and upkeep.
On May 14, 1878, a member of the Ohio Legislature, the Honorable R.H. Hayman, introduced a bill in the House for the establishment of regional libraries. The bill was passed in October, 1878, providing financial assistance for libraries throughout Ohio. In response to this action the Portsmouth Board of Education donated a red brick building on the northwest corner of Fifth and Court Streets for a city library, a building that had formerly been used as a school. iIn June, 1879, the first library committee was formed with George O. Newman, President, A.H. Towne, Secretary. Other committee members were James Towell, Henry Tracy, A.B. Alger and Judge A.T. Holcomb. A Colonel Wharton was given the responsibility of gathering books for the library which was opened in the all of 1879. In recognition of the Colonel’s efforts, an oil painting of him was hung from the ceiling, a painting that is still seen at the library.
The history of the library as we know it today began on January 18, 1902, when Henry Lorberg made a formal request to the Carnegie Corporation, known widely for its financial grants for the construction of libraries, for assistance in building an adequate library in Portsmouth. In response to this request, officials in charge of the Carnegie Foundation grants indicated that careful thought was being given to the Portsmouth request and stated that if such a grant were made the library in question should be situated on a large lot with plenty of natural light and set apart from other buildings. On February 9, 1902, an article in The New York Times state that Andrew Carnegie had chosen Portsmouth as one of the cities in which to build a library (altogether the Carnegie Corp. funded the construction of 2,800 libraries.)
-Henrietta Montavon, A History of Scioto County: 1986, 1986, Page 27
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