The Brockville Public Library

The Brockville Public Library. . The predecessor of the Brockville Public Library was the Brockville Mechanics' Institute, established in 1842 to provide reading materials and educational opportunities for the town's workingmen. The library was first housed in rented quarters, including the Flint Building at King and Court House Ave. In 1895 the Province of Ontario passed the Public Libraries Act and in July 1895 Brockville Town Council passed a bylaw to formally establish the Brockville Public Library., In 1902 the Town Council applied for a grant from American industrialist Andrew Carnegie to build a permanent home for the library's collections and services. The Carnegie Foundation approved the application in 1903, this site on Buell Street was chosen and Brockville architect Benjamin Dillon was hired to design the building. The total Carnegie grant was $17,0000 and the town council made the commitment to cover all future operating expenses., On the afternoon of October 28, 1903 a large gathering of town politicians, dignitaries and members of the public, young and old, witnessed an impressive formal ceremony for the laying of the cornerstone. After prayers and speeches by Board Chairman the Rev. Harold H. Bedford-Jones, Mayor William H. Harrison and other notables, a copper box of memorabilia was placed in the [illegible] cavity., Mrs. Victoria Crawford Morden helped to place the cornerstone on top of this "time capsule" and received an engraved silver trowel to commemorate the occasion. The doors of the new Brockville Public Library opened on Saturday, August 13, 1904., Since then, two expansions have taken place to accommodate growing collections and new technology, the first in 1970-71. The second expansion and renovation carried out in 1995-96 was more extensive, with the exterior design of the new extension along Buell St. matching the distinctive architectural detail of the remaining two walls of the 1904 building., [Photo captions, left to right, read] , . The cornerstone-laying ceremony shown above took place on October 28, 1903. The new library opened on August 13, 1904. Architect: Benjamin Dillon, Brockville, . This was the engraved silver trowel presented to Mrs. Victoria Crawford Morden.