Site of Nevada’s First Public Library
Site of Nevada’s First Public Library Overview
In 1895, Frank H. Norcross began persuading the Nevada Legislature to enact a law to establish public libraries.
The state’s first public library building was erected on this site in 1904, with donations from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and pioneer Myron C. Lake.
It remained in service until 1930 and was demolished in 1931.
Category
- Event
- Person
Marker Type
Concrete
Nevada Historical Marker Number
The site of Nevada’s First Public Library is Nevada Historical Marker #247.
Click here to view the full list of Nevada State Historical Markers.
County
GPS Coordinates
39.524939 -119.812356
Nevada Historical Marker Transcription
In 1895, Washoe County District Attorney, Frank H. Norcross, later a Chief Justice of the Nevada Supreme Court and a Federal Judge, began a drive to establish Nevada’s first free public library in Reno. That year, he persuaded the Nevada Legislature to enact a law establishing Nevada’s public libraries.
The state’s first public library building was erected on this site in 1904, with $15,000 donated by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie on land originally donated to the City of Reno by pioneer Myron C. Lake. It remained in service until 1930, when growth forced its relocation to the site where the Pioneer Theater Auditorium now stands. The library was sold for $1 and demolished in 1931.
In 1966, the library was relocated to a new building at Center and Liberty Streets, three blocks south of this site.
STATE HISTORICAL MARKER No. 247
DIVISION OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION & ARCHEOLOGY
WASHOE COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM