Prescott Public Library

File:Prescott Public Library.png Prescott Public Library Prescott Public Library, at 215 Goodwin Street

Original Prescott Public Library
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
File:OldPublicLibraryPrescott422.jpg
Old Prescott Public Library, at 125 Gurley
Location	125 E. Gurley St., Prescott, Arizona
Coordinates
Area	0.2 acres (0.081 ha)
Built	1903
Architect	Maxwell & Sines
NRHP Reference #	75000365
Added to NRHP	May 28, 1975

The Prescott Public Library is a public library in Prescott, Arizona at 215 East Goodwin St.

The original Prescott Public Library was at 125 Gurley Street, a Carnegie library that is now an office building. This building was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

The current location at 215 E. Goodwin Street was built in the 1970s and renovated in 2006. The library sees nearly half a million visitors a year.

History

Julia M. Goldwater, Prescott resident wrote to Andrew Carnegie in 1899, appealing for help to build a library in Prescott:

June 1, 1899

Mr. Andrew Carnegie Pittsburg, Pennsylvania

Dear Sir, Your well known philanthropy has prompted me to appeal to you in the interest of a truly charitable work. In our little town of 3500 inhabitants, we have after much effort and work established a library of nine hundred volumes—good readable books in good condition, but we have no endowment, rents are high, and we have been compelled to charge for the tickets. It is our aim and hope to make the library free and to maintain a free reading room. In no place could such a room be more needed than in Prescott with its large floating population of young men, many of whom can not afford to keep their own rooms lighted and heated, and therefore have no recourse but the saloons and “dives” for there are no innocent amusements in the town. If we could get an endowment of $10,000 or even $8,000, we would at once, make the library free, for all the women on the library committee are willing to work very hard to keep the matter in good shape, to raise money to buy new books and to subscribe for periodicals. I truly believe that the amount of money I mention would do greatest good in this way than in any other. I have tried to write briefly so as not to demand too much of your valuable time, but if you are interested to investigate the matter, I shall taker pleasure in giving you all the information possible. I am privileged to refer to the Governor of the Territory, Hon. N. Oakes Murphy, Phoenix, Arizona, who will tell you I am sure that the library is in capable hands. Hoping that you will feel some interest in our necessities, in spite of the hourly calls on your charity, I am,

Very respectfully yours, Julia M. Goldwater

Recent Projects

In 2014, working in conjunction with the Tribute Fence Preservation Project and the State Library's Arizona Memory Project, the library opened a digital museum of objects left by visitors paying tribute to the 19 fallen Granite Mountain Hot Shots after the Yarnell Hill Fire. The digital collection contains over 10,380 items.

External links

• Prescott Public Library