There was a time not so long ago when the wealthy class of Americans gave back for the greater good of us all rather than hoarding billions for the sake of themselves.
Surely, steel baron Andrew Carnegie (who started his path to billions in the 19th century—his worth would’ve been $309 billion in today’s dollars) has some skeletons in the proverbial closet, but by the 20th century he had evolved into a philanthropist who gave out grants to more than 1,600 communities across the country to help build free public libraries.
Two of those library buildings are still standing in Sonoma County and are now the Petaluma Historical Library & Museum and the Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society, each of which will soon receive a $10,000 gift from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Not only did Carnegie give away millions; he also established a way to keep on giving well beyond his death.
The awards are part of “Carnegie Libraries 250,” a special initiative celebrating the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and honoring the roughly 1,280 Carnegie libraries still serving their communities across the United States.
Sonoma County Library director Erika Thibault said, “The grant will be added to the library’s general fund, helping us continue to provide welcoming spaces and valuable resources for all of our community members.”
Located at 221 Matheson St., just off the square in Healdsburg, the Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society exists to “collect, protect, preserve and interpret the artifacts, documents and photographs that trace the rich history of Healdsburg and surrounding area.”
The space served as the town’s library from 1911-1987, when some local shuffling moved organizations around and a new library was built. The Carnegie library—designed by Petaluma architect Brainerd Jones and built by Santa Rosa contractor Frank Sullivan—was slated for demolition, but the Healdsburg Historical Society joined forces with locals and saved the building. It opened as the Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society in 1990 and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The museum houses a permanent collection of rich, local history. Their current exhibition is “Our Favorite Toys.” Curated by Lauren Villacorte and Frances Schierenbeck, the exhibition features classic toys, games and crafty activities to engage visitors. The exhibit runs through Jan. 4.
Located at 20 Fourth St., the Petaluma Historical Library & Museum’s history is a bit different. It took the initiative of the Petaluma Ladies Improvement Club, whose members wrote letters to Carnegie asking for funds to build the library.
In 1901, Carnegie offered $12,500, conditional upon site donation. Addie Atwater, president of the Ladies Improvement Club, owned property at the corner of Fourth and B streets. She sold it to the city for much less than market value, under the terms that it must be used for a library and if that changed, it would be returned to her or her heirs.
Jones was brought in to design the building. The crown jewel of the design is a gorgeous stained-glass dome that to this day remains one of the largest free-standing stained-glass domes in Northern California. It even survived the 1906 earthquake with minimal damage.
The Petaluma Museum is also having a toy related exhibition, titled “Toys Through Time: From Machine Age to Space Age.” Featuring a collection of antique mechanical toys on loan from a local collector, alongside Star Wars toys from Rancho Obi-Wan, the exhibition traces a journey from the ingenuity of clockwork mechanisms to the imagination of cinematic spaceflight. It runs until Feb. 1.
For more information, visit petalumamuseum.com and healdsburgmuseum.org.
