Wolcott Guild Lecture Focuses On Library’s Rich History
BY NANCY GAGNET – MIRROR REPORTER
As books fill the Maumee Branch Library, so does a vast amount of rich history.
Historians note that in 1813, it was the site of Dudley’s Massacre. The Lucas County Courthouse once sat on the property, as did a glass factory.
“There is a lot of history on these grounds and I’m sure we’ll keep learning more and adding more,” said former library branch manager Joe Ludwig, who was a guest speaker for the Wolcott Guild lecture series recently.
His presentation, titled “501 River: A History,” chronicled the history of the library and its surrounding property.
“This was no man’s land,” Ludwig said regarding the first proposal to build the Maumee library in the early 1900s.
“There were no houses and not many trees, and there was a lot of controversy to build here,” he said.
In addition, those opposed to the idea believed that the library in Perrysburg would better serve people in this area.
Supporters prevailed, however, and in 1916 a $10,000 grant from the Carnegie Foundation enabled the library to be built. Maumee is one of a handful of libraries funded by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie still operating in its original building.
Like all Carnegie structures, the building was erected on a hill, Ludwig said.
“The original library was on the second floor, and the first floor held offices and technical services, and a chapter of the Red Cross operated in the basement,” he said.
When it opened in 1918 the library housed 4,683 books and issued 450 library cards.
“This library became extremely popular very quickly,” he said.
According to Ludwig, the courthouse remained on the property after the library was built, but eventually fell into disrepair and was torn down.
In addition to being used as the county courthouse – until a new courthouse was built in downtown Toledo in 1853 – Ludwig said that the building was also used as a seminary and to manufacture clay pots and carousel horses among other things.
Additions to the library building took place in the 1930s and 1950s, which doubled the structure’s size while adding a garage, auditorium, more storage and office space and a cupola.
Through the years services were also expanded with bookmobiles, book clubs, a lectures series and movies, Ludwig said.
The library grounds held historical significance, including a majestic elm tree estimated to be 600 years old when it was cut down in 1961.
“It had Dutch elm disease and judging by the pictures, it was probably 80 feet tall,” Ludwig said.
A swamp oak tree also sat on the property, but had to be removed in 2000 when it was discovered to be rotted and hallowed.
“It was my favorite tree, a beautiful tree and it was believed to be 300 years old,” he said.
While the library was popular and well used, Ludwig, who managed the branch for 19 years, said there were many problems with the structure.
The air conditioning and heating units were outdated, the circulation area was limited and there were 15 entrances to the building – none of which was secured, he said.
“It looked great but there were a lot of problems with the building,” he said.
In spring 2000, the structure underwent a $1.9 million renovation project, which took nine months to complete to be transformed into the library it is today.
“If we had waited another six months or a year, we never would have gotten what we have today, because building costs spiked after we built – it was a tremendous experience,” Ludwig said.