Ludington Public Library - Early History

Early History

The Ludington Public Library started with the Ludington Library Association on April 9, 1872. A meeting was announced for those that were interested in organizing a library. At the time there was interest in a public reading room for the attainment of mental improvement. The meeting was held at Ludington Hall over the Pere Marquette Lumber Company store at the southwest corner of Main Street (now Gaylord Avenue) and Ludington Avenue to effect a permanent organization of a library association. Articles of association were filed April 12, 1872. It was brought up then at an official city meeting on the evening of April 24, 1872 at this same location at the Pere Marquette Lumber Company store (later bought by Pierce Manufacturing Company). The organization was perfected and officers were elected in 1872 and 1874.

On April 30, 1872 a free reading room opened for a 90 day trial. A few days later a letter was received from James Ludington of Milwaukee, expressing his interest in the library idea. In the letter was a draft for $100 to be used in the purchase of books. S. F. White visited Milwaukee in June of that year in the interest of the library association and made a purchase of books. Local citizens donated other suitable books. By the spring of 1874 a sizable library of 300 to 400 books had been gathered. The library association then occupied a small building that stood just south of the Pere Marquette Lumber Company's "Big Store" to be used freely by anyone.

Soon thereafter various plans were considered for a new location. D. L. Filer, who had always been the president, proposed on behalf of the Pere Marquette Lumber Company to donate a site on Ludington Avenue. In this proposal all the lumber necessary for its construction would be provided. James Ludington was to donate $2500 to the city of Ludington for building the new structure and $1,000 each from D. L. Filer and John Mason Loomis. The new structure was to accommodate the library on the main floor with county offices, a court room, and the city council chambers upstairs. This building with a library, however, was never built since James Ludington didn't come through with his donation because of financial setbacks in Milwaukee. Meanwhile instead there was a Mason County Courthouse built in 1873 on Pere Marquette Street to accommodate the city and county offices only.

Nothing further was done toward plans for a new library structure and in time the matter was all but dropped. The library association subsequently moved to the second floor of the Gebhart Building at the southeast corner of Ludington Avenue and Harrison Street. Later in 1877 the library moved into the Temperance Hall after its new construction. This was at the northeast corner of Ludington Avenue and James Street. Between 1877 and 1881 this library association hosted lectures by guests that included Susan B. Anthony and Schuyler Colfax.

On June 11, 1881, there was a major city fire and the building burned to the ground, destroying all the library contents. There was no insurance and about $500 worth of books were lost. An effort was made by Eugene Allen of the executive committee and a few others to reorganize a new library, however nothing serious came of this for over 20 years. The Central School (later Longfellow School) shared their books with the public for many years, however this was inadequate.