Collection: Books and Periodicals > Nevada County Historical Society Bulletins

About This Item:

Title: Volume 061-3 - July 2007 Collection Type: Books and Periodicals Collection Name: Nevada County Historical Society Bulletins # of Pages: 6 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2014-03-12 08:42:16 OCR Software Version #: tesseract 5.4.1 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 04:06:03 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 04:06:03

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

Page: of 6  

NCHS Bulletin July 2007 appearing in local newspapers calling for establishment of a public library in the city. On January 28, 1892, an article appeared in the Nevada Daily Transcript in answer to the Christian ladies and gentlemen of the city who had voiced concern about saving the young men from “predation.” From its earliest days Nevada City had possessed a great number of saloons, and it was suggested that the city needed a public library and reading room where young men could spend their evenings with papers, magazines, and good reading material. The Transcript offered to furnish, free of charge, publications from every part of the state, which they received as exchanges for their paper. The editor of the Zranscript offered up the names of local citizens who would “address the visitors” to the library: Julius M. Walling, Edward M. Preston, Thomas S. Ford, Frank T. Nilon, George D. Buckley, Preston F. Simonds, Niles Searls, Joseph G. O’Neil, Rastus Bond, Leonard S. Calkins and Reverends Chisholm and Sims. The clergy made strong appeals, writing to the newspapers in favor of public libraries. By the end of the] 890s many felt that California, outside of the larger cities, was behind the times as compared with the Eastern cities, where public libraries were thought of as being nearly as important as public schools. They were supported in part by state appropriations, like horse racing was in California. In many Eastern states, whenever a city raised acertain sum fora public library, the state would match the funds. In this way reading rooms were to be found in every town of any size. Letters were written to (and by) editors, and articles published espousing the belief that some member of the Legislature should introduce a law recognizing Free Public Libraries as part of our system of public education and make provision for aiding the same. Action should be taken to bring a public library to Nevada City and Grass Valley. It was determined that the amount of money expended in celebrations and sports @™ of various kinds every year in Grass Valley would support . half a dozen free libraries. The amount of money donated by the state for many years to encourage horse-racing in Nevada County would support a public library in both Grass Valley and Nevada City. (Grass Valley already had the first electrified horse-race track in the state.) A Movement Gains Momentum For several years there was an on-going interest, as occasional articles appeared about the need to establish a public reading room—a “nice cozy place, and well equipped, too, where they can go and spend an hour day or night and enjoy reading the best literature to be obtained.” It was said that almost every city of any importance could boast a reading room and a library. In November 1901 a stage comedy was planned as a fund-raiser to officially get the project underway to raise funds to be turned over to a committee to establish a proper library. Miss Martha Sims, daughter of Rev. Josiah and Mary Sims of Nevada City, was to direct the play, and she had commitments from some of the best talent in the city to take part in the entertainment. The comedy proposed was ‘“Captain@™ Rackett,” and it was expected the performance would be a sell-out. With publicity in local newspapers, library memberOn the uphill side of the Nevada Theatre one can barely see the brick building that became the Nevada City Free Public Library in 1902. (Photo taken about a™ 1900.) ’