Cape Girardeau Public Library to receive $10K gift from Carnegie Corporation of New York
FOX23 News at 9 p.m.
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., (KBSI) — The Cape Girardeau Public Library (CGPL) is one of about 1,280 Carnegie Libraries across the United States selected to receive a $10,000 gift from the Carnegie Corporation of New York in honor of America’s 250th anniversary.
The donation recognizes the enduring legacy of the free public library movement championed by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In 1916, the Women’s Council of Clubs, representing 18 local women’s organizations, began discussions with the Carnegie Foundation to establish a public library in Cape Girardeau. The project was delayed by World War I but revived in 1921. Carnegie agreed to contribute $25,000 toward construction if the community raised $5,000 and committed to supporting the library through a special tax.
The community met those requirements, and the Carnegie Library was constructed in Common Pleas Courthouse Park, opening on June 15, 1922, with a collection of 3,000 books.
“Our founder, Andrew Carnegie, who championed the free public library movement of the late 19th century, described libraries as ‘cradles of democracy’ that ‘strengthen the democratic idea, the equality of the citizen, and the royalty of man,’” said Dame Louise Richardson, president of the Carnegie Corporation and former head of the University of Oxford. “We still believe this and are delighted to celebrate our connection to the libraries he founded.”
CGPL will receive its gift in January 2026 and plans to use the funds in a way that celebrates the nation’s 250th anniversary while furthering the library’s mission and benefiting the Cape Girardeau community.
Residents are invited to share their photos, stories, and memories of the Cape Girardeau Public Library at carnegielibraries.org, where they can also explore the Carnegie Libraries Across America interactive map to learn more about the history of these landmark institutions.
