In 1877, the Fredericksburg Library and Lyceum Association was established to create the city’s library and offer public programs. A lyceum (according to Merriam-Webster) is a group or venue that offers public lectures and entertainment. The Association’s Board of Trustees consisted of seven men: Rev. James P. Smith, ex-Lieut. Governor John L. Marye, J.N. Barney, Elliott M. Braxton, P.V.D Conway, Rev. T. L. Dunnaway, and Robert Hall. The Lyceum operated for a while, but eventually closed. Having no state or city funding, the library operated solely on subscriptions that paid for tickets to borrow the books and donation. This library offered books to residents within and outside the city limits, which was a contrast to most area libraries that only offered services to residents. Relying on subscriptions was a constant issue for this small library and in 1887 they did not have sufficient funding to employ a librarian, so the books were boxed up and housed at the YMCA.

In 1894, eight local women appealed to the three remaining Trustees and requested to take over the books to reopen the library in the courthouse. They were granted permission and secured two rooms in the lower level of the courthouse, one for books and one for reading. The eight women who took on this task are worth naming here because their endeavors carried the library for several decades: Mrs. V. M. Fleming, Mrs. Marshall Hall, Mrs. J. Fred Brown, Misses Gravatt, Myer, Schooler, Carson, and Barnev. Unfortunately, name formalities prevent us from knowing their first names. Currently, they have about 1,000 volumes to offer the community. The library reopened January 10^th, 1895.

Fredericksburg Historic Courthouse, 1862 (LOC)

Fredericksburg Courthouse 1860’s

In 1905, C. Wistar Wallace died and willed $15,000 for the Wallace Library. This was for a local library in the city and a committee was formed. On May 20, 1909, the Wallace Library committee (made up of all men) posted a note to the Fredericksburg Library Board (all women) stating they believed there should only be one library (Wallace Library would be the only one, no doubt), and recommended the women of the Fredericksburg Library to turn over the books they have so the Wallace Library wouldn’t waste funds in purchasing duplicate books. In other words, this group of prominent men decided this small library and the women who volunteered their time to serve this community should give up their inventory and shut the doors.

The women’s reply provided the argument for two libraries since theirs served those who were city residents and external. The Wallace Library would only serve those within the limits. Their intentions were made clear; they were resolved to stand strong and not fall to intimidation.

Both libraries continued to operate for several decades. The Wallace Library had more funding, space, more open hours, and better offerings and so became very popular. In 1910, they opened in the building that was adjacent to the courthouse (below).

Wallace Library Today

 In 1927, the Fredericksburg Library celebrated its 50^th anniversary of service and hosted a tea fundraiser. In 1935, the library committee ran an article in the Free Lance Star newspaper to raise awareness of its location and invite folks to join. The library was open on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 3:30-5:50 and to check out books, members purchased a ticket for $1.50. This ticket allowed the borrowing of four books per week. Unfortunately, the lack of funding and growing popularity of the Wallace Library sealed the fate of this small, modest library. A Letter to the Editor in 1946 captured its state at the time.

“To the Free Lance Star:

            To my knowledge the Fredericksburg Library has been closed for three weeks due to the death of its former librarian. And I understand that when the library is open it is in operation for only three hours a day and closed two days a week. This seemingly inefficient and inadequate library service seems to me ridiculous in a town the size of Fredericksburg. Being a newcomer in town my position is naturally that of the inquirer rather than the critic, but tell me, doesn’t your city believe that reading is a vital educative force necessary to the life of a healthy rounded community and nation? I’d like to know just what is the trouble. Sincerely, Rev. David B. Chamberlain.”

-Free Lance Star, August 15^th, 1946

It’s unclear exactly when the library closed, but on January 15, 1949, The Free Lance Star reported the Wallace Library had obtained books from a “private subscription library which formerly was located in the courthouse. Today the library has approximately 10,000 books, a monthly circulation of 1,200 volumes, and over a 1,000 borrowers, 245 of whom live out of the city.”

The story of this small library, group of women, and their sheer determination to stand up to deep pockets and expansion was carried away in the wind of Fredericksburg’s history. This story is mostly unknown and has been absorbed into the current Fredericksburg library system, but it is not a part of that system’s story. It stands on its own just like the women who saved it in 1894 and served the community for the next 55 years.