Discovery District in Columbus in Franklin County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Columbus Main Library / Judge Noah Swayne Home
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 17, 2008
1. Columbus Main Library (side A)
Columbus Main Library. The first tax supported free public library in Columbus was formed in 1873 and housed in City Hall. In 1901, City Librarian John Pugh petitioned Andrew Carnegie for funding and was granted $200,000. In 1903, the Swayne home was razed and construction began. The library opened to the public on April 4, 1907. The library’s purpose is inscribed on the front of the building - Bibliotheca Fons Eruditionis: The library is a fountain of learning; Our Treasures Are Within; and Open To All.
Judge Noah Swayne Home. The home of Judge Noah Swayne was located on this site from 1848 to 1903. Between the 1860s and 1880s, the home served as the Governor's Mansion. Noah Swayne served as a State Representative in 1829 and 1836, U.S. Attorney General for the Ohio district beginning in 1830 and on the first Columbus City Council in 1834. President Abraham Lincoln appointed him as Supreme Court Justice in 1862. In 1902 the house was sold to the City of Columbus for the new library.
Erected 2007 by Friends of the Library, Columbus Metropolitan Library, The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 97-25.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work •
this page online
Location. 39° 57.694′ N, 82° 59.398′ W. Marker is in Columbus, Ohio, in Franklin County. It is in the Discovery District. Marker is on Library Park North, on the right when traveling east. Marker is near north end of Columbus Metropolitan Library. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 96 South Grant Avenue, Columbus OH 43215, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Topiary Garden (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Starling Medical College and St. Francis Hospital (about 700 feet away); Deaf School Park (about 700 feet away); Deaf School Park Topiary Garden: 'A Sunday Afternoon on the Ile de la Grande Jatte' (about 700 feet away); Washington Gladden (about 800 feet away); Elaine Hastings Mason (approx. 0.2 miles away); Wesley Chapel Methodist Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Home Site of Henry Howe — Historian (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbus.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 17, 2008
2. Judge Noah Swayne Home Marker (side B)
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 17, 2008
3. Columbus Main Library / Judge Noah Swayne Home Marker
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 17, 2008
4. Columbus Metropolitan Library
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 17, 2008
5. George Peabody Munson Fountain
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 17, 2008
6. George Peabody Munson Fountain Marker
For the children of Columbus in memory of George Peabody Munson, aged six.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 17, 2008
7. "Earth Laughs in Flowers" Marker
In appreciation of Deb McWilliam's outstanding service to Columbus Metropolitan Library, 1977 to 2006, and her love and devotion to the gardens at Main Library. Located near the Columbus Main Library historical marker.
Photographed By S.F. Harriman, circa 1908
8. Carnegie Public Library, Columbus, Ohio
Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 24, 2008, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,384 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on October 24, 2008, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. 8. submitted on November 29, 2014. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.
