Sweet Auburn in Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Auburn Avenue Branch, Carnegie Library

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 12, 2013

1. Auburn Avenue Branch, Carnegie Library Marker

Inscription. On this corner stood the Auburn Avenue Branch Carnegie Library for African-Americans, from 1923 to the 1950s. Alic Dugged Carey, the first principal of Morris Brown University (now College), along with Dr. W.E.B. Dubois and others led the fight to gain a library for African-Americans. The main library downtown was segregated and there was no library facility for African-Americans until the Auburn Branch opened in 1923. The Library was a landmark in the community, and its weekly children's reading hour was one of the most popular activities.

In the 1930s, Annie McPheeters became head of the branch and worked to acquire material by and about African-Americans. The Auburn Avenue Collection served as the basis for the West Hunter Street Branch, and the Black Studies Collection at the downtown branch, later renamed the Samuel Williams Collection. The same collection serves as the core of the Auburn Avenue Research Library, located at the western end of Auburn.

F13
The Sweet Auburn Historic Interpretive Program developed by:
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Program, Corporation for Olympic Development in Atlanta, and African-American Research and Consulting Firm, Inc. (Marker Number F13.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. In addition, it is included in the Carnegie Libraries, and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1923.

Location. Marker has been reported missing. It was located near 33° 45.327′ N, 84° 22.608′ W. Marker was in Atlanta, Georgia, in Fulton County. It was in Sweet Auburn. Marker was at the intersection of Auburn Avenue NE and Hilliard Street NE, on the right when traveling east on Auburn Avenue NE. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 333 Auburn Avenue NE, Atlanta GA 30312, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location. A different marker also named Auburn Avenue Branch (here, next to this marker); Alice Dugged Cary (here, next to this marker); Religious and Fraternal Institutions (a few steps from this marker); Prince Hall Masonic Building (a few steps from this marker); Dobbs Plaza (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Wheat Street Baptist Church (about 300 feet

Marker detail: The Auburn Branch of the Carnegie Library of Atlanta, circa 1935 image. Click for full size.

2. Marker detail: The Auburn Branch of the Carnegie Library of Atlanta, circa 1935

The Auburn Branch of the Carnegie Library of Atlanta opened in 1921 and closed in 1959. It was the city's first public library branch for African Americans.

away); Soul Food Row (about 300 feet away); Haugabrooks Funeral Home (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Atlanta.

Also see . . .
1. Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History. Decades before the Auburn Avenue Research Library opened, its core collection was formed at the Auburn Branch of the Carnegie Library of Atlanta. The one-story red-brick building, located at 333 Auburn Avenue, officially opened July 25, 1921, becoming Atlanta's first public library branch for African Americans. Before then, black citizens were excluded under the era's Jim Crow laws from public library service in the city, which began in 1902. (Submitted on December 10, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Auburn Branch Library, Atlanta, Georgia (1921-1959). The Auburn Branch’s story began almost twenty years before the library opened. When the Carnegie Library of Atlanta (CLA) was established in 1902 with a $125,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie, it did not allow black users. Representatives from Atlanta’s African American community, including Atlanta University professor W.E.B. DuBois (1868-1963), demanded that the CLA provide access to blacks. DuBois questioned the legality of using tax money from blacks

Marker detail: Library interior photo image. Click for full size.

3. Marker detail: Library interior photo

(who represented about a third of Atlanta’s population at the time) to support a whites-only public library. The CLA’s trustees not only refused to provide access, they also denied DuBois’s request for black representation on their board. They proposed opening a separate library for blacks instead. But after receiving an offer of $10,000 from Carnegie in 1904 for a “colored” branch, neither the city nor the CLA advanced the project... (Submitted on December 10, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Auburn Avenue Branch, Carnegie Library Marker (<i>wide view looking north across Auburn Avenue</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 12, 2013

4. Auburn Avenue Branch, Carnegie Library Marker (wide view looking north across Auburn Avenue)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 10, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 504 times since then and 83 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 10, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.