Books Unit Gets Home Of Its Own
THOMASVILLE The county library system opens its first owned building on April 20. The $120000 brick glass structure at Colonial Drive and Randolph Street provides 6000 square feet for adult and children’s areas, a teen lounge, a clubroom, and off-street parking. The Mobley Finch donors funded part of the project with $75000 and county officials added $45000 from the County Building fund.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Thomasville
County Library System
Lewis K. Mobley
Tom A. Finch
Mobley-Finch
Charles F. Lambeth
Colonial Drive
Randolph Street
Luther Lashmit
Lashmit
James, Brown and Pollock
Winston-Salem
John V. Barger Company
Mooresville
Lambeth
City Hall
Proserpina
Thomasville Chair Co
Myrtle Desk
Highigh Point
Davidson County Public Library Born 30 Years Ago
The Davidson County Public Library, established 1928, grew from Lexington and Thomasville clubs into a county system with a bookmobile, Negro branches, and multiple sites. By 1957 the system held 72,296 books and issued 17,391 circulations with ongoing state aid and gifts.
Shelved at School First Free Library in Thomasville
The early Thomasville branch grew from the Community Church Public Library opened in 1923 in the Community Protestant Methodist Church on Ranco Street. It started with 500 books and served young readers, but usage declined, leading to consolidation with the county system. The Thomasville branch opened officially on October 24, 1928, with Mrs. Millie J. Crowell as first librarian and later saw continued growth, relocation to City Hall in 1938, and a current collection of about 15,000 books with monthly circulation around 6,000 to 7,000 and a three-person staff led by Miss Mary Lee Crouse. The county library also operates a separate Negro branch on Brown Street established circa 1930 and staffed since 1950 by Mrs. Reynolda Motley.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Thomasville
Davidson County Public Library
County Board of Commissioners
Lexington
Woman’s Club
March Hotel
Kate Mays
Woman's Clubs
Lie J. Crowell
W. Second Avenue
E. Center Street
Denton
Julius Rosenwald Foundation
American Library Assn
South
Louise Justice
Moore
Rosenwald Foundation
Marjorie Beal
North Carolina Library Commission
Davidson County
North Carolina
Mr. Myers
James E. Lambeth Sr
A. Odell Leonard
Robert Bruton
Curtis Fields
Fields Wert
Susan Finch
J. F. Spruill
Welcome
Dunbar School
Brown Street
Church Street
Community Church Public Library
Community Protestant Methodist Church
Ranco Street
Civic Center
Community Church
O. B. Williams
Dwight Fouts
Lelasoul Boyles
Crowell
Anne Mebane
Greensboro
Commerce Street
Clara Johnson
Mebane
Salem Street
Miss Johnson
Eloise Ward
Currituck Countty
City Mall
Mary Lee Crouse
Mary Green Matthews
Evelyn Smith Craven
Matthews
Highchool
Hickory
Miss Crouse
Crouse
Dorothy Beane
W. T. Green Sr
Julius Rosenwald
Harry B. Finch
County System
Reynolda Motley
Library Opens in Thomasville After $120,000 Build
The new Thomasville Public Library at Randolph Street and Colonial Drive opens for public inspection Sunday at 2:30 PM with a dedication led by Mayor Kermit Cloniger. Benefactors Mrs. Lewis K. Mobley and Tom A. Finch donate 75000 dollars for facilities and quality beyond county funds.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Thomasville
Kermit Cloniger
Frank Jordan
Memorial Methodist Church
Cloniger
Lewis K. Mobley
Tom A. Finch
Curtis Fields
County Library Board of Trustees
Antoinette Earle
Mary Lee Crouse
W. T. Green Sr
Dorothy Beane
Gene Morris
Founding of a Library Theme Echoes Carlyle
The text extols founding a library as a profound, quiet act with immense value. Reading enables wisdom and insight, turning readers into centers of light and order. A collection of books is described as the world’s noblest university.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Thomas Carlyle
New Library Praised by Thomasville Mayor
Mayor Kermit Clonigler expresses gratitude for the new Thomasville Public Library and honors donors led by Mrs. L. K. Mobley and Tom A. Finch who contributed over 75000 to fund the building. He credits the community’s ongoing support from county officials and Miss Crouse's staff for the project and urges citizens to use the library and take pride in the city.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Thomasville
Kermit Clonigler
L. K. ‘Mobley
Tom A. Finch
Thomasville Public Library
Miss Crouse
Services Of Library Are Outlined In Thomasville
Miss Mary Lee Crouse notes the new Thomasville Library opens April 20 and outlines its programs. The library served 4,575 borrowers in the year ending June 30, 1957, lending 75,822 items. Memorials and gifts funded gardening books, Bronze US president medallions, and furnishings. Civic groups donated books and equipment, including a record player, and funds for children's books.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mary Lee Crouse
Thomasville
George D. Finch
Comepany
Thomasville Junior Chameber of Commerce
Thomasville Business and Professional Women's Club
Also Mentioned on This Page
NEW Thomasville Library
Mrs. Mobley
Rosenwald
Foundation
General Assembly
Fields
A. H. Ragan Sr
Ralph Moffitt
E. E. Witherspoon
Weldon Royals
Fred Livengood
Route 5
Paul Sink
Dorothy Evans ‘Shue
Antoinette ‘Earle
Mary Lef Crouse
Curtis Fields Trustee Chairman
A. H. Ragan
Wint Capel
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!