Clintonville & Beechwold » Libraries

The First Clintonville Library

shyatt — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 20:21:41 +0000

In my book, I wrote that the first Clintonville Library was at 3317 North High Street, near the corner of Longview and North High Street. What an intriguing fact! The Columbus Metropolitan Library Biography, History, and Travel Desk had brought this to my attention, and even sent me copies of minutes from old Board meetings where this was discussed. I’ve scanned them and you can read them here:

February 11, 1929 minutes
May 24, 1929 minutes
Tax Assessment List for 14 W. Lakeview, where the “new” library was built.

I’ve subsequently found an article in The Booster that told the same library story.

Library Activities

shyatt — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:10:54 +0000

Reading has always been a popular Clintonville activity, in part because of its great library programs. The children above are planning the activities for the 1954 National Book Week. (Photo courtesy of the Clintonville Historical Society)

Clintonville Library 1969

shyatt — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:00:46 +0000

In 1969, the Clintonville Branch Library moved to 2800 North High Street (from 14 West Lakeview), into quarters built by the Schottenstein Company. This photo shows Virginia Wiltshire, Marge Dersh, and Bob Armour on moving-in day. The library occupied the northwest end of the shopping center, which also had a Kroger and SupeRx drug store. In 1985, the Clintonville and Beechwold branches were merged to become the Whetstone branch library at 3909 North High. (Photo courtesy of the Clintonville Historical Society)

Whetstone Library

shyatt — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:00:50 +0000

The Whetstone branch of the Columbus Public Library was originally planned to be between the Recreation Center and the Clintonville Women’s Club. The library would rent the land from the park for $1.00 a year. The plans to build the library were controversial at the time. I did not find records describing why they changed the location, and don’t know what the library pays today. The new library at 3909 North High Street was dedicated in 1985.

Clinton League

shyatt — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:14:37 +0000

In the summer of 1912, a book agent promoted an 11-volume set of books entitled The Foundation for Young People. Buyers were entitled to a Certificate of Membership in the Child Welfare League of America. Twenty-five local women pledged, and 11 of them came to the first local meeting. In the early days they met in the guild room of Saint James Episcopal Church. They held readings and had discussions on predetermined topics. They supported Columbus’ Baby Camp; they held Minstrel shows to benefit the Belgian Relief Fund; they sponsored a hot lunch program in the local schools. Clintonville was outside the city limits in these early days and had no city library service, and so club members established a branch of the state library within Clinton School from 1914-1915, and when that was deemed impractical, they had a lending library at Cummings Drugstore located at Clinton Heights Avenue and North High Street—another idea that proved to be impractical. Eventually a Columbus Public Library branch was put into Clintonville, and when the local group became aware of the local library’s need for books, they held a “book shower” to bring in book donations. They engaged in war relief work in 1917. They advocated getting rid of some dirty carriage sheds at the Clinton school. In 1915 they were also able to convert two vacant lots owned by J. E. Pierson on Dunedin near Beach Hill Avenue (now Calumet Street) for use as community tennis courts. The club contributed to the community through World War I, the flu epidemic of 1918, the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Over the years their name changed from Clinton Child Welfare League to the Clinton Social Welfare League (1913) to the Clinton Welfare League (1915) to the Clinton League (1925). The group disbanded around 1977. Their papers can be read on microfilm at the Ohio Historical Society.

From 1945 to 1953, they donated books to the Clintonville Library. In this photograph, Mrs. Miller presents books to the children at the Clintonville Library, on behalf of the Clinton League. (Photo courtesy of the Clintonville Historical Society)