14 CHURCH STREET N ST. MARYS. ONTARIO m: snap lam! A mmnaucr. 284-3621 p.90 " . FURNITURE q GLASS . PRINTS "t 0 PLATES The building has since been owned by the Wolverton Flour Mills Com.. pan and Great Star Flour Mills Ltd. in 1971a local deveIOpment company, Trifid Re,alty, tr.'rfipeg,t,s,; purchas- ed the budding. T e co.mpan has been considering a number oguses for the propertr‘. Included in its plans are the establis ment of a number of boutiques, a first class restaurant, out- door cafe, a small convention centre and some kind of restored auditorium area. . mg on stage and Uncle Tom’s'Cabin was a popular attraction which was performed on several occasions In 1920 the St. Marys Milling-Com- ?anrbought the Opera House' and to ac: Hate Its 'i'oviliina5 operation carried ou ex ensrve at . ' building. erations to the - -"-'_q. uulcllll in the audfto.rium. duringb his lag political campaign. The Marx Brothers were among the performers iT ear- ing on stage and Uncle Tom's gabin was a popular attraction which was ptrfo.yjysAon geveral occasions. The grain merchants went into bankruptcy in 1919, however, and the Royal Bank became owner of the property. But because the roulidt “ never attracted fc', 1fuflt',rsi"oar,t ticipatpd. , the Oddfellows the were force to sell the building for I mere $1Q,000 to a harness-makin gompany In 1904. Three years later thg uildin again changed hands h the G. garter and Son C w en over ownership. ompany took, One distinguished. speaker at, the Opera House was Sir. John A. Mac- donald. He spoke to a local gathering in the auditorium during hi: [an opera house was the cultural centre of the community. He relates how the round floor of the building was used gor shops while the theatre, which could seat 800 patrons, was on the se- cond floor. The Oddfellows meeting hall was on the third floor. _ his] iirs"t . The predecessor of the present, llbrary was established in 18.li7 and know" as the Mechanics Institute. It Pccupipd no building but used regs/g room: in ii"oi7n"ti"i'G' stores to serve the needs of those early citizens. The P,rimary object was education thmugh books on practical suhjetts, leFtUres by leadin 'people of the dis- trict arid '('/l)itl SChools. The .rpGhe)'iii'p fee was one dollar a year, and mana ement was 2 a c.o.m- mlttee elected #om‘the mem 3.319;, "'IHCC crecteo ITUIII‘LIIC 'T'%wr"'e"'" . Late in the last century Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish immlgrant who rose to head the vast Un'ted sates 1tteel Corporation seized the idea of usrng his personai fortune tp. endow free public libraries. Before .his death he gave 2,811 library building.' (but lot. books) to communities m the Unfted States, Britain and C3h3d310f this achievement a biographer writer. Visitors to St, Marys I? remark on the beauty far, 0 t e grey sto.ne mi!†building of Gre.c.ia,n ,srWiqyMM.b, architecture which M Pguses St. Marys publIC I rary. Complementing . the stone town hall next door it help}: form a focal point' of interest whlf’ emphasizes the solidarity of t IS strongly built community: __-.. St. Marys Public Library do;s gar a complete re See and examine your purchase. _ Join the lStonefown ph for particulars. Any plate martt One of the Largest Showings of Collector. Plates in Ontario! Plate Club. Come in returned within 365 refund. plates before you "Virtually nonexistent in the U.S. before 1880, the free library, as a result of Carnegie philanthropy, became almost as much a part of America as the schoolhouse or church" 7 - .. Ordinarily, no objection would have been raised by the proposed beneficiaries of Cimegie's great wealth. However, some people felt strongly that Carnegie had exploited sweat-shop labour m his steel mills, and opinion was divided in St. Marys too on the morality of accepting "tainted" money. In January, 1904 the issue of a Carnegie library for St, Marys was put to a vote of the people. The count showed a majority of only 35 votes in favour of accepting the Carnegie offer, At a subsequent town county meeting the clerk read this communication from Mr, Carnegip's secretary: " . . . if the Town agrees by resolution of Council to maintain a Public Library at a cost of not less'than One Thousand Dollars a year and provide a suitable site for the Library, Mr. Carnegie will be pleased to furr Pen js.nd ink, drawing by Colin McQuirk, perth country gallery. Originals and prints may be purchased Page " 14 CHURCH STREET N ST. MARYS. ONTARIO The' muni'cipal coincil agreed to these conditions, accepted the a_rchiteqturi.l design gseti in 9tber tSrnegie Iibraries'and the building was completeq in 1905.. . As one walks up the statel en- trance to the library, a stainecliglass window above the front door pt?r- trays the Lamp of Learning. Inside' the burlding man of the original oak shelves are still in use, as in a rare Pe- quegnot clock. A portrait of Andrew Carnegie hangs over the fireplace, and nearby are framed copies of the 1904 negotiations with Mr. Carnegie. A fire destroyed part of the buil ing in 1929, but this merely gave impetus to f_urther_improvements. , '. nish Ten Thousand Dollars to erect a Pulo.lic, Librarypu.ilding for, St. Marys." Over the years the town of St. Marys has generously supported the library, and the unJMid board members have devote much time and energy toward maintaining it in good condition. ' , ov'v‘v‘V'vwrvrir Visitors are always welcome to come In and browse. ma sun» I WITH h mmnzncs 284-3631