Color postcard (14 x 9 cm.) entitled "Public Library, York, Nebr." in the top left in red type with an exterior view of the York Public Library in York, Nebraska. It is a red brick and stone building, one story with basement windows. Steps lead up to an arched front entrance and it is topped by two arched windows in a dormer over the entry. Above the entry are the words "Public Library." There are windows on either side of the front entry and two large windows on the right side. A chimney protrudes from the back side of the roof. There is a lawn and sidewalk surrounding the building. In front is a small leafless tree. The library was located at 306 East 7th Street (the corner of 7th & Nebraska). The view is from the northwest
Several attempts to start a library in York were made before the turn of the 20th century by women's clubs who housed donated books in various buildings. In 1894, the City of York began to support the library. In 1900, Mrs. Lydia Woods, wife of G. W. Woods, donated $10,000 to erect a building to house the York Public Library. Morrison H. Vail of Dixon and Chicago was the architect chosen and the building seen here was erected. The library opened to the public in November, 1902. $850 was spent on the lot, $7,000 for the building and the remainder of the money on books. The building served the community for eighty-four years until April, 1986, when the library moved to the new Kilgore Memorial Library building. A black and white version of this colorized postcard appears in "The History of York County, Nebraska" (1988). This colorized version has some foreground low-hanging branches and and background details edited out. Source: Greater York Area Genealogical Society. The History of York County, Nebraska. Dallas, TX: Curtis Media Corp, 1988, p. 39, and Stan Schulz, Library Director, Kilgore Memorial Library, York, Nebraska.
