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Volume 061-4 - October 2007 (6 pages)
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Page: of 6
Two teams from the high school played a game of baseball
at the Armory Hall on Friday, March 24, for the benefit of the
library improvement fund, and advance tickets to the event
had been sold for 25 cents at the library celebration.
From that time on the Nevada City Public Library essentially remained the same. The only major changes were replacement of the original slate roof with a composite one in
_ the 1940s, and replacing the first circulation desk with one
donated by city hall. The original gray concrete block exterior
of the building has been repainted several times.
A History Branch and a New Modern
Library for Nevada County
Not every county has a dedicated library branch for historical documents and research. In October of 1988 county supervisors approved placing historical collections in the Nevada
City Library after completion of the new15,000-square-foot
County Library. Construction would start in the summer of
1989 on a knoll above the Eric Rood Administration Center.
Funding for anew modern library was realized when then
County Librarian Madelyn Helling helped secure a combination of $994,500 federal grant money, $860,000 in county
funds, a $50,000 gift from the Wilbur May Foundation for a
large children’s reading room, plus community donations
from residents and businesses, for a grand total of $2.2 million. Helling had been lobbying for a new main branch since
she became county librarian in 1974. A modern library would
make it possible to have computer terminals, a community
conference room, exhibit space for art, large reading and reference areas, and would be accessible to the physically disabled.
The plan for a history branch was supported by the Nevada
City Council, Searls Historical Librarian Edwin Tyson, and
County Supervisor Crawford Bost, who helped convince the
Board after Supervisor Jim Weir voiced concern that it would
cost the county almost $20,000 a year to operate and maintain
a historical branch. Bost, whose ancestors go back to pioneer
days and represent several generations of Nevada County
citizens, proposed that the county enter into a joint powers
agreement with Nevada City and the historical society to
spread costs. The supervisors took a vote and unanimously
approved placing the historical collection in the Nevada City
Library after receiving the approval from the City Council.
In 1990 the Nevada City library was added to the National
Register of Historic Places. This designation would help to
preserve the building for future generations and make it possible to apply for grants to maintain it.
New Library Named
The history library was dedicated on October 20, 1991, and
opened the next day. Madelyn Helling, the county’s second li> brarian, resigned a month later. The new County Library was
named in her honor.
em OnMay 17, 1997, the history branch library was named the
Dory Foley Historical Research Library, dedicated to the
NCHS Bulletin October 2007
memory of Doris Foley for her outstanding contribution to the
preservation of the heritage of Nevada County. Foley had
been a local historian, writer, teacher and preservationist of
records. She was the first librarian of the Searls Library in
1972, and was a charter member of the Historical Society
when it was organized in 1944. (See Bulletin #48-2)
Librarian Elsie Flynn with books from the “demonstration” project in May 1971. (Nevada County Nugget photo.)
Highlights
History Museum Room Opened
On May 9, 1934, the Native Daughters and Native Sons
jointly opened a history museum room in the library building.
Antiques and exhibits of items used in the early days were displayed, including a strong box from the Pioneer Stage Coach
days and two English-made muzzle-loading shotguns that
were used for protection in the old Citizens Bank.
Trees Planted
On February 20, 1939, the Women’s Service Club of Nevada City dedicated two trees as living memorials at the Nevada City Library to two women who were active in their
effort in behalf of the library: Bessie Stevens Mobley and
Mrs. Amalia Brand, who pioneered the movement for the library and was said to have never lost an opportunity to do
something to beautify it, inside or out. A Colorado Spruce was
planted in memory of Mrs. Mobley and an Arbor Vitae tree
was planted in the front part of the library lot, to the right of
the entrance.
WPA
Work started as a WPA project to widen Pine Street from
York to Commercial streets, and to construct a new sidewalk
in front of the library and build a new wall to replace the iron
fence which was torn down. After the partially finished project was abandoned by the federal government, it was finished
by city crews of Nevada City.
Old Counter Donated to Library
In 1932 a large walnut counter over which millions of dollars in gold, currency and gold bullion have passed was taken
from the old Citizen Bank rooms on Broad Street and installed