SIERRA STAR, September, 15, 1982. Reprinted with permission.
Every library, whether personal or public, essentially starts
with the first book, just as a story begins with the lead sentence
or a journey with the first step. But the Madera County Free
Library may be unique in having begun officially with exactly
one book in its collection.
The library began in 1901 in the County Clerk's office with
a book on forestry. It grew under the sponsorship of Assistant
County Clerk Mrs. William Burk, who wrote letters to prominent
Californians and to governors of every state requesting the donation
of a book.
The first of many responses came from Oregon's governor --a
book on forestry.
The embryo library lived for its first year in the Clerk's
office, but as its popularity grew and the number of patrons
increased, the Clerk's staff found it difficult to cope with
interruptions and the book collection was moved to the jury room.
The Library's first five years of progress were destroyed
when the Court House burned on Christmas Eve in 1906. And although
County Clerk Eubanks attempted to build it up again, there were
no funds available until the Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance
establishing a library in the spring of 1910.
Madera County Library was the first California county free
library under the State Library Act of 1911. It had branch libraries
in operation even before the legislation was passed.
The Raymond and Coarsegold branches were opened in November
of 1910, followed a month later by North Fork and O'Neals. The
Minturn, Fresno Flats, Pines, and Grub Gulch stations opened
during 1911; Ahwahnee and Knowles branches in 1912; Fairmead
and Chowchilla libraries in 1913; Berenda and Bailey Flats in
1914.
There was a hiatus of expansion during World War I, thus the
next branches, Sugar Pine and Mission, did not begin until 1919.
Meanwhile, the Madera Library, outgrowing its Court House
birthplace, moved first to the First National Bank building in
1913 where it stayed until the County built a library building
which opened in May 1917.
The present Madera Main Branch Library was opened in 1970.
Supporting The Library
If you would like to support the Madera County Library, please
contact: Friends of Madera County Library, P.O. BOX 105
Madera, CA 93639.
