PARIS, Ky. (LEX 18) — At the turn of the 19th century, industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie donated more than $40 million to build public libraries across the country.
To receive an Andrew Carnegie donation at this time would have been an exciting opportunity for a community and its residents, but today, many of those libraries are no longer standing or no longer in use.
Flipping through a scrapbook of old newspaper clippings, Suzanne Dungan proudly explained that the Paris-Bourbon County Public Library is one of those rare, still standing sites.
“By the 1890s, there were private libraries in the community that some lawyers had, some judges had, but there were no public libraries,” said Dungan, collections manager and genealogist for the library.
“Around the turn of the century, there were several women's groups, research has just shown, who felt like there needed to be a library,” explained Dungan.
After running it by their husbands and town leaders, a letter was sent to Mr. Andrew Carnegie, who was, at the time, donating funds to build public libraries across the country.
Carnegie agreed to give Paris $12,000 for a library, provided the city maintain the building throughout the year.
“They were going to, in perpetuity, promise to fund the library at the amount of $1,200 a year, which, needless to say, we spend more than that now,” laughed Dungan.
Today, the Paris-Bourbon County Public Library is one of only three Carnegie-funded libraries still in use as a public library. Longtime residents will recognize the same stain glass windows and circulation desk still in use today, but most other features have changed over the last 120 years.
In 2014, a two-story, modern addition was built alongside the original library.
“This is no longer a place where you come to sit quietly, we do have those spaces, but this is a vibrant place, we're sharing ideas, kids are coming here to get energy out, it's not a 'shh' of the past, that's definitely not a thing the public library is anymore,” said Jessica Perry, assistant director.
Between story time and scavenger hunts, Perry touts a calendar packed with programming.
“The addition allows us to do state of the art things. It opened up space for community groups to meet, we were able to upgrade our technology, the heating and cooling is all modern, so we're keeping our historic values but we know we have to progress forward and that's what this building does for us,” said Perry.
Holding far more than just its bestsellers, the Paris-Bourbon County Public Library is a promise to invest in the community for many more years to come.
“It's a blessing to be here and I'm so excited to see it grow.”
