Traveling exhibit celebrates Carnegie library buildings in Wyoming

The Alliance for Historic Wyoming (AHW) is celebrating historic Carnegie library buildings around Wyoming with a traveling exhibit. The exhibit will be on display at the Crook County Library in Sundance from Friday, April 5 through Friday, May 3.

The public is invited to view the exhibit at the Crook County Library in Sundance. There will be a public talk by Christy Smith, Executive Director on Friday, April 5 at 7 p.m. The exhibit was funded in part by a grant from Wyoming Humanities.

"The community dedication shown by the construction and continued maintenance of Carnegie library buildings should not be forgotten," says Rin Kasckow, Alliance for Historic Wyoming Program Assistant. "Like school buildings, churches, and neighborhoods, Wyoming's Carnegie libraries are architectural gems and community landmarks."

The Cowboy Carnegies campaign is part of the AHW's "This Place Matters" program, highlighting the importance of preserving historic buildings and oral history accounts of historic places and spaces in Wyoming.

Carnegie libraries were so named because of the philanthropic generosity of Andrew Carnegie. Andrew Carnegie funded the construction of 1689 libraries across the country between 1889 and 1919 through construction grants to communities large and small.

Wyoming had 16 Carnegie libraries, built between 1899 and 1917, a remarkable number for a state with a small and dispersed population. Today, just ten Carnegie libraries remain standing, and five are still used as libraries.

Carnegie libraries represent a fascinating era in community development in the United States, when philanthropic funds and local initiatives combined to create free public libraries that became centers of community learning and gathering.

The exhibit consists of five panels detailing the history and architecture of Wyoming's sixteen Carnegie libraries. If your library, museum or institution is interested in hosting the exhibit, you can contact the Alliance for Historic Wyoming at 307-333-3508 or by email at [email protected]. The Alliance for Historic Wyoming is currently scheduling for mid to late 2019.

You can read a series of articles on the history of the libraries and an interactive map of their locations on the AHW website. The AHW is in the process of evaluating sites in hopes to nominate several of the state's Carnegie libraries to the National Register of Historic Places, says AHW Executive Director, Christy Smith. Four of the libraries are already on the National Register or included in historic districts.

"We strongly urge Wyoming's cities and counties to continue using these spaces, and we want to celebrate these preservation accomplishments in Wyoming through our Cowboy Carnegies campaign," says Andrea Graham, the chair of the campaign.

The Alliance for Historic Wyoming is a statewide historic preservation nonprofit dedicated to protecting Wyoming's historic places and spaces. To learn more, visit http://www.HistoricWyoming.org.For more information about the local display and program contact Jill Mackey at Crook County Library, [email protected], 283-1006.