About Carnegie Public Library

History

The history of the Carnegie Public Library began in 1909, before the building was ever built, with a letter from Lillian M. Waddell to Andrew Carnegie’s Secretary, James Bertram, inquiring about obtaining a Carnegie Library for our town of Clarksdale. Andrew Carnegie Granted $10,000 to the City of Clarksdale, but it was up to Clarksdale make sure the doors stayed open. From 1909, it took another five years before our library was built and opened to the public thanks to a very dedicated Women’s Club and other prominent members of the town. On April 14, 1914, the Carnegie Public Library opened, led by Sara Trimble until the following year when Hoyland Lee Wilson took over as Head Librarian. The First three years, 1914-1916, saw the Carnegie funded solely by the City of Clarksdale, but in 1917 the Coahoma County Board of Supervisors joined forces with the city further support funding to the Library and its services to the community. Things have changed over the years, and we have adapted with those changes to continue to serve our community through partnerships and 21st century technology.