Gainsboro in Roanoke, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public Library

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, October 4, 2022

1. Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public Library Marker

Inscription. This property
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Architecture • Charity & Public Work • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1942.

Location. 37° 16.627′ N, 79° 56.47′ W. Marker is in Roanoke, Virginia. It is in Gainsboro. It is on Patton Avenue Northwest just east of Gainsboro Road Northwest, on the left when traveling east. Marker is mounted at eye-level, directly on the subject building, just to the right of the front entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 15 Patton Avenue Northwest, Roanoke VA 24016, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Mountain Region

and in Southwest Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Gainsboro Branch Library (here, next to this marker); Claytor Memorial Clinic (within shouting distance of this marker); Edward Richard Dudley III (1911-2005) (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Hunton Life Saving And First Aid Crew (about 700 feet away); The Influence of Churches in Gainsboro (about 700 feet away); A Once-Vibrant African American Community (about

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700 feet away); Evolution of a Neighborhood Name (about 700 feet away); Social and Cultural Life (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Roanoke.

Regarding Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public Library. National Register of Historic Places #96001448; contributing property in Gainsboro Historic District (NRHP #050012760; and Virginia Historic Landmark #128-0256.

Also see . . .
1. Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public Library.

Also known as the Gainsboro Library, it is a historic library building located in the African-American neighborhood of Gainsboro in Northwest Roanoke, Virginia. It was built in 1941–1942, and is a one-story, seven-bay, L-plan Tudor Revival style brick building. The library provided African-American residents of Roanoke's segregated Gainsboro neighborhood with a library facility where children and adults could pursue self-education with advice and assistance from competent and dedicated librarians. It replaced Roanoke's first African-American library which had been established in 1921 in a rented commercial storefront space.

(Submitted on October 4, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Establishment of a Library for African Americans

Virginia Historic Landmark image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, October 4, 2022

2. Virginia Historic Landmark

(mounted just left of the National Register marker)
Gainsboro Branch
Roanoke City
Public Library
has been registered as a
Virginia
Historic
Landmark
pursuant to the authority vested in the
Virginia Board of Historic Resources

The first Gainsboro Branch Library officially opened to the public on December 14, 1921, in the basement of the newly constructed Odd Fellows Hall, later the William A. Hunton Branch YMCA, on Gainsboro Road and Patton Avenue. At the time of its dedication, the Gainsboro Branch Library was only the second library for African Americans in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
As the library’s collection grew, it became clear that the basement of the YMCA could no longer accommodate it. By the late 1930s discussions were underway with the Roanoke Library Board for a possible bond issue to fund the construction of a new Gainsboro Branch Library building. The dedication ceremony on May 10, 1942, was a joyous affair held at the First Baptist Church of Gainsboro, featuring speakers, devotionals, and music.

(Submitted on October 4, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public Library.

Opened in 1942, the Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public Library provided Roanoke’s African American residents a facility where children and adults could pursue self education. Designed by Eubank and Caldwell of Roanoke, the domestic-scale Tudor Revival building was Gainsboro’s second public library. Virginia Young Lee, the librarian for more
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, October 4, 2022

3. Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public Library Marker
(marker is mounted just to the right of the front entrance)
than forty years, motivated children to use the library and created a special collection African American materials which is still maintained. The Gainsboro Library continues to serve as a neighborhood icon and a cultural and educational resource for the Roanoke area.

(Submitted on October 4, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public Library image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, October 4, 2022

4. Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public Library

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, October 4, 2022

5. Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public Library

Credits. This page was last revised on April 25, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 4, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 305 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 4, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.