The Tulare County Library has received a $40,000 gift from the Carnegie Corporation of New York as part of “Carnegie Libraries 250,” a special initiative celebrating the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The initiative also honors the Carnegie Libraries built in the United States, including about 1,280 that still serve their communities.
From 1883 to 1929, Andrew Carnegie provided grants to build 1,681 libraries across the United States, including libraries in Exeter, Dinuba, Visalia and Orosi. Today, the Carnegie Corporation of New York recognizes that legacy with $10,000 gifts to libraries that served their communities over the years.
The only remaining Carnegie Library in Tulare County still in operation is the Orosi Branch Library, which serves the communities of Cutler and Orosi.
Although the Orosi grant was awarded in 1917, due to World War I, the Orosi Library construction was delayed. Due to the perseverance of Tulare County Librarians Bessie H. Twaddle and Gretchen Flower, the simple bungalow craftsman building was completed in 1921. Orosi was the last Carnegie Library built in California and one of 142 Carnegie Public Libraries in the state built through this historic program.
The Tulare County Library has plans to remodel the Orosi Library, a registered historic building, with partial assistance from the Building Forward Library Facilities Improvement Grant managed by the California State Library.
“The Tulare County Library is grateful and excited about receiving these gifts, especially as we begin the remodeling project for the historic Orosi Branch Library,” said Darla Wegener, Tulare County librarian.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Tulare County’s historic Orosi Library awarded $40K Carnegie gift
Reporting by Steve Pastis, Visalia Times-Delta / Visalia Times-Delta
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