Ludington Public Library

The Ludington Public Library is one of the two branches of the Mason County District Library administrative system. This library, as the main branch, is located in downtown Ludington, in Mason County in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.[1] The library started as an idea that in 1872 formed an association. A trial for a free reading room was undertaken and later a small building was acquired for a definitive reading room.

Ludington Public Library
Established1906
Location217 E. Ludington Ave
Ludington, Michigan
Coordinates43.956°N 86.4454°W / 43.956; -86.4454
Branch ofMason County District Library
Collection
Size65,000 volumes
Access and use
Circulation170,000
Population served28,800
Other information
DirectorEric Smith
Susan Carlson - Assistant
Staff6 full time, 12 part time
Websitewww.masoncounty.lib.mi.us
Map

The town's founding fathers and James Ludington donated money for a new building but it never came to fruition. The temporary library went through a series of changes and relocation proposals; a permanent library was not constructed for about 20 years. A group of women formed the Pere Marquette Literary Club, a social club in the 1890s that ultimately helped in the formation of a permanent city library. They took financial support from Andrew Carnegie to construct the library building and it opened in 1906. The building has since had major expansions and is still operational.

The library has metal sculptures at various parts of its surrounding property. The sculptures were made to represent learning and book reading in creative ways. The sculpture placed in the front of the library building is known as "Flights of Learning", which symbolizes the mission of the library, and the one in the backyard is known as "Double the Fun" which depicts a teacher reading to her students.

Early history

The Ludington Public Library started with the Ludington Library Association on April 9, 1872.[2][3] A meeting was announced for those that were interested in organizing a library. At the time there was interest in a public reading room with an aim to improve mental health. The meeting was held at Ludington Hall over the Pere Marquette Lumber Company "Big Store" (later bought by Pierce Manufacturing) at the southwest corner of Main Street (now Gaylord Avenue) and Ludington Avenue to establish a permanent organization of a library association.[2] Articles of association were filed on April 12, 1872, and it was brought up at an official city meeting on the evening of April 24, 1872 at the same location.[2][4] The organization was perfected and officers were elected in 1872 and 1874.[2][4]

On April 30, 1872 a free reading room opened for a 90-day trial.[2] A few days later, a letter was received from James Ludington of Milwaukee, expressing his interest in the library idea.[2][4] The letter contained a draft for $100 to be used in the purchase of books.[2][4] S. F. White visited Milwaukee in June of that year in the interest of the library association and made a purchase of books.[4] Local citizens donated other suitable books.[2][4] By the spring of 1874 a library of nearly 400 books had been gathered.[2][4] The library association then occupied a small building that stood just south of the Pere Marquette Lumber Company's "Big Store" to be used freely by anyone.[2][3][4]

Pere Marquette Lumber store, later Pierce Manufacturing Co.
Longfellow School, circa 1909

Soon thereafter various plans were considered for a new location since the volume of books became to large to handle.[4] D.L. Filer, who had been the president of the library, proposed on behalf of the Pere Marquette Lumber Company to donate a site on Ludington Avenue.[4] In this proposal all the lumber necessary for its construction would be provided by Ludington.[2] He was to donate $2500 to the city of Ludington for building the new structure and $1,000 each from D. L. Filer and John Mason Loomis.[2][4] The new structure was to accommodate the library on the main floor with county offices, a court room, and the city council chambers upstairs.[2] This building with a library, however, was never built since James Ludington didn't come through with his donation because of financial setbacks in Milwaukee.[2] Meanwhile, instead there was a Mason County Courthouse built on Pere Marquette Street to accommodate the city and county offices only.[2]

Nothing further was done toward plans for a new library structure and the idea was dropped.[4] The library association subsequently moved in 1876 to the second floor of the Gebhardt Building at the southeast corner of Ludington Avenue and Harrison Street.[2][3][4] In 1877, the library moved into the Temperance Hall, at the northeast corner of Ludington Avenue and James Street, after its new construction was completed by the Red Ribbon Club.[2][3][4] Between 1877 and 1881 the library association hosted lectures by guests that included Susan B. Anthony, John Bartholomew Gough and Schuyler Colfax.[2]

On June 11, 1881, the building and all library contents were destroyed in a major city fire.[3][4] There was no insurance and about $500 worth of books were lost.[4] An effort was made by Eugene Allen of the executive committee and a few others to reorganize a new library, however nothing serious came of this for over 20 years.[2][4] The Central School (later Longfellow School) shared their books with the public for many years, however their collection had fewer books.[3][4]

Mid history

Interest to rebuild a new Ludington library was kept alive in the 1890s by a group of women that had an organization called the Pere Marquette Literary Club.[3][5] They first made contact with Andrew Carnegie around 1903 to obtain funds for the construction of a new library.[5][6] At this time various people offered sites that they would sell for prices ranging from $1,000 to $1,500.[6] Some of these sites were at the corners of Harrison and Loomis as well as Rowe and Court streets and on Ludington Avenue, Emily Street, and Charles Street (now Rath).[6] There was a lot of controversy over the selection of the final library site.[7]</ref>[8] Mayor Warren A. Cartier recommended that the matter of "petty jealousies" be worked out and that deciding on the final site location would be brought up again in a later meeting.[8]

The Pere Marquette Literary Club worked on obtaining the grant from the Carnegie Institution for construction of the new Ludington library.[3][5] Carnegie wrote back a letter saying that as soon as the city council decided on a free site and could guarantee it then funds would be eropriated.[6] On September 6, 1904, the city council had a meeting and voted to close the deal with Charles G. Wing for the 90-foot (27 m) lot at the corner of Ludington Avenue and Rowe Street, site of the former newspaper office of the Ludington Appeal. They then proceeded to complete the arrangements with Carnegie for the construction funds of $15,000 for the library.[5][9][10]

Ludington Public library 1906

At a city meeting on February 6, 1905, the city approved the plans for a two-story building that would utilize Carnegie's funds.[11] The building was designed by Edward Lippincott Tilton, who was recommended by Carnegie.[11] The building was to have reading rooms, cloak rooms, and a lecture room on the second floor.[11] The Ludington Carnegie library building was declared as the library that will "stand a thousand years."[12]

The current Ludington Public Library was constructed where the "old Appeal building" once stood in 1904.[13] The contractor builder John Anderson received the contract to build the new Carnegie library in 1905.[1] His bid of $11,380.33 was the lowest general contractor bid of the six bids received by the city.[1] A local Ludington newspaper then reported the notes of the city council showing that the plans for the new library and its construction had been approved.[14]

The style of the building is to be of monolithic concrete of the square colonial architecture combined with Romanesque arched windows and doors.

— "Minutes of the City Council", The Ludington Chronicle (February 8, 1905).[14]
Ludington Public library, c. 1925

Carnegie distributed over $40 million ($1 billion in 2010) given in grants to United States communities to erect 1,689 libraries.[1] In 1905 Ludington received one of the 53 grants given to Michigan communities from him for construction of libraries.[1] A Carnegie Grant of $15,000.00 and matching funds from the city of Ludington were put forth to build and support the new library that continues to exists.[1]

He had a special program that gave grants which covered the cost of the construction of free public access libraries under certain conditions—that Carnegie would provide the funds for the erection of the building, which was usually equal to about two dollars per local area resident. The local government had to then provide the construction site and an amount equal to 10 percent of the Carnegie grant annually from the city tax revenues to support the newly funded library.[1] The city of Ludington provided the construction site and agreed to $1,500 annually (10% of the construction cost) for maintenance of the building.[1] On March 1, 1906 the library opened with a collection of 3,800 books.[15][3][5]

Later history
Ludington library ground breaking shovels for Just Imagine project

In 1975 a major remodeling and enlargement to the Ludington Public Library was begun. The Mason County voters passed a millage for the construction and additionally Federal revenue-sharing funds were received. Total cost of the new portion was $300,000.[1] The addition was finished and opened to the public in 1976.[16] Since then a group called Friends of the Library has assisted the activities of the library.[16] The Zonta Room, named for the local branch of Zonta International, includes extensive genealogical and historical research materials.[17]

The Ludington library celebrated its centennial with a keynote speaker on March 3, 2006.[18] The library had from 2008 an expansion campaign called Just Imagine where it collected funds for adding a 7,000-square-foot (650 m2) construction which was a Children's Library, a large meeting room, and an activities area.[19] The lobby of this addition has an area of personalized brick pavers for those that donated to the library.[20] There is a Wall of Recognition at the entrance of donors that contributed to the Vision Campaign, a $1 million project building fund. The expansion was completed in 2010.[20]

Flights of Learning sculpture

The 800-pound and seven-and-a-half-foot-tall "Flights of Learning" sculpture is at the front exterior entrance of the Ludington Public Library. The metal sculpture by Utah artist Bryce Pettit took about six months to complete. It was purchased for the downtown Ludington library by businessman John Wilson and his wife Anita. The sculpture came just after the opening of the new wing in 2012 which was added to the back of the existing library. The new wing was called the Keith Wilson Children's Center and is named after John Wilson's father.[21]

The "Flights of Learning" sculpture was installed on June 29, 2012 at an event attended by a few dozen people. John and Anita Wilson were presented with a scale model of the sculpture they had donated to the library. This sculpture is a continuation of the Mason County Sculpture Trail that started with nine sculptures at Waterfront Park near downtown Ludington, Michigan.[22]

The metal sculpture symbolizes the mission of the library. The metal book open at the base of the statue is meant to imply that parents and members of the community shoulder the responsibility to better the world through a child's learning. The open book represents a gateway to learning, while the birds represent the knowledge acquired from the books. The knowledge released through the "Flights of Learning" signifies an opportunity to achieve "new heights of freedom". The birds depict different areas of learning and knowledge; the owl represents sciences and mathematics, the falcon represents history, the jay represents literature, the meadowlark represents music, the hummingbird represents fantasy, and the tern represents arts. The artist used his 11-year-old daughter as a model for the metal sculpture.[21]

Double the Fun sculpture

The "Double the Fun" sculpture is a statute in the Mason County Sculpture Trail installed at the Ludington Public Library on August 15, 2014. The statue, constructed by the sculptor W. Stanley Proctor, pays tribute to a high school English teacher Sallie Peterson Ferguson, who was a founder of the Montessori School of Kalamazoo. Dr. Bill Anderson, chair of the Mason County Cultural Economic Development Task Force, suggested the library as a permanent placement location for the sculpture because of Sallie's background in teaching, and it became the second statute placed at the library. It was commissioned by her surviving husband Jon Ferguson, who she was married to for 47 years. It shows her sitting on a bench reading to a young boy and girl, representing her passion for reading.[23][24]

Proctor, the sculptor artisan well known for bronze sculptures, has installed works at private and public places including corporations, libraries and Universities. His sculptures are installed at the Leon County Courthouse, the Florida Governor's Mansion Children's Park, Hackensack University Medical Center, the Living Desert Museum in California, the Boyds Collection in Pennsylvania, the Colorado National Jewish Center Hospital, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville. This was Proctor's third creation that has been placed in Ludington; the other two being at the sculpture park at Waterfront Park in downtown Ludington.[23]

  • Ludington Public Library
    front exterior in 2008
  • Ludington library new front landscape, April 2012
  • Ludington Library platform statue base built in 2012
  • Ludington Public Library new side entrance work of 2012
  • Ludington Public Library addition of 1976
  • Ludington Public library interior 2008

References
  1. Peterson, Dave (May 21, 2005). "A look back at Ludington's library". Ludington Daily News. p. A6.
  2. Cabot, November 9
  3. "History of the Mason County District Library – Part 1". Mason County District Library. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  4. HR Page 1882, section Ludington
  5. Cabot, November 16
  6. "The new Carnegie library". The Ludington Chronicle. September 26, 1903. p. 1.
  7. "The Carnegie library site". The Ludington Chronicle. September 23, 1903. p. 4.
  8. "The Carnegie library site". The Ludington Chronicle. September 23, 1903. p. 1.
  9. Book 12, Common Council of the City of Ludington, September 7, 1904
  10. "Carnegie Library site ordered purchased". The Ludington Chronicle. September 7, 1904. p. 1.
  11. Ludington Record-Appeal, 2-9-1905, Volume XXXVIII, No. 26
  12. "Library Will Last A Thousand Years". The Ludington Chronicle. November 21, 1906. p. 1. Ludington's new Carnegie library should, and judging from recent disclosures will, stand a thousand years. This statement will at once prove comforting to the public and gratifying to the builder, John Anderson of this city.
  13. "History of an old Landmark /Story of the Carnegie Library site and of the Old Building standing thereon". The Ludington Chronicle. March 15, 1905. p. 1.
  14. "Minutes of the City Council". The Ludington Chronicle. February 8, 1905.
  15. "Open to the public Thursday, March 1st". The Ludington Chronicle. February 28, 1906.
  16. Cabot, November 23
  17. "Zonta Club Hears Reports". Ludington Daily News. Ludington, Michigan. September 17, 1976. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com .
  18. Steve Begnoche (March 4, 2006). "Library celebrates 100 years". Ludington Daily News. Ludington, Michigan. p. 1.
  19. Steve Begnoche (March 4, 2006). "Library plans expansion". Ludington Daily News. Ludington, Michigan. p. A8.
  20. Brochure obtained at the Ludington Public Library titled "Just Image" Ludington Library Expansion Campaign 2007-2009
  21. "Sculpture installed in front of library - Dedication June 29". Ludington Daily News. June 21, 2012. p. 1.
  22. "Dedicated: Mason County Sculpture Trail launched with two works". Ludington Daily News. June 30, 2012.
  23. Alway, Rob (August 15, 2014). "Statue memorializes Sallie Ferguson, who loved reading, teaching". Mason County Press. Mason County, Michigan: Mason County Press newspaper. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  24. Braciszeski, Kevin (August 16, 2014). "'Double the fun' adds to sculpture trail". Ludington Daily News. Ludington, Michigan: Shoreline Media Group.

Bibliography
  • History of Manistee, Mason, and Oceana Counties, Michigan. Chicago: H.R. Page & Co. 1882.
  • James L. Cabot (Columnist), three-part series on the Ludington Public Library:
  1. "Public library, one of earliest institutions". Ludington Daily News. November 9, 1991.
  2. "New library rises from ashes of 1881 fire". Ludington Daily News. November 16, 1991.
  3. "Ludington library continues its growth". Ludington Daily News. November 23, 1991.
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