Thank you Mr. Carnegie

There is a very interesting article on the NPR web site about Andrew Carnegie "Turning His Fortune into a Library Legacy."  The Dover Public Library was lucky enough to be one of the the 1,689 libraries that Mr. Carnegie helped to fund. The following is from the history of the Dover Public Library section of our web site.
"Librarians, citizens, and trustees recognized the need for a separate building as the Library continued to grow. These interested people appealed to philanthropist Andrew Carnegie for funds to construct a new facility. Mr. Carnegie responded with this offer, "If the City of Dover pledges itself by resolutions of councils to support a free library at a cost of not less than $3000 a year, and provide a suitable site, I would be pleased to furnish $30,000 for the erection of a free public library building."  The building was completed in June 1905 at a cost of $29,675. Shelving, furniture and architects fees added an additional $9500 to the final price. The building, housing 33,000 volumes, was formally dedicated on July 19, 1905 with a speech by the Mayor and delivery of keys to the chairman of the building committee."