Sewickley Public Library's 150-year history celebrated

Dustin Shilling spent the past several months rummaging through countless documents and photos in order to showcase a major part of Sewickley’s history.

The more he researched, the more his interest grew.

The result was a near seven-minute slideshow with music and narration projected on a screen surrounded by various notebooks and registration records from the late 1800s and early 1900s.

It was all part of the Sewickley Public Library’s 150th anniversary celebration Nov. 15.

“The history of the library is important to us,” said Shilling, the library’s current assistant director. “We’re the oldest continuously functioning library in Allegheny County, starting in 1873 and continuing on. That’s part of the reason that we spent so much time putting together this program and some of the things we’ve done.

“(Records) were so well-preserved. Once I started getting into it and reading through some of them, it was worth it. It was interesting. The reports weren’t boring like you might read today that are just bland and bullet points.”

The history

The Sewickley Public Library started out as the Young Men’s Library Association in Mozart Hall 1873.

It was during the second term of President Ulysses S. Grant, and around the time Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner’s “The Gilded Age” was released.

Its founders included William Dickson and its first board president, John Way Jr. There were 21 exclusive members.

A group called Young Women of Sewickley had a fundraiser in 1874. The men showed their appreciation by granting them free one-year memberships to use the library.

It was the first recorded use of the library by women. People had to pay an annual fee to use the library until 1899.

The library moved less than a few blocks away to Choral Hall in 1875 and then into a Sewickley school in 1890. A new board was established in 1899.

The first recorded children’s programs took place in 1920.

William Clause, president of Pittsburgh Plate Glass, bought land and a building at the corner of Broad and Thorn streets, its current location, and donated it to be used as a library in 1915.

The building eventually opened in 1923.

In the 1940s, during World War II, the library participated in the national Victory Book Campaign and sent 1,590 books to soldiers overseas.

A janitor, identified only as Mr. Kohler, left his library job to serve in the Army. He returned to Sewickley in 1946.

The library went through a $3 million expansion in the late 1990s. The project nearly tripled the size of the facility. Its original entrance is now a study hall in the reference area.

It went back to regular operations earlier this month after a $1.6 million renovation project that included a new roof, windows and an HVAC system.

The celebration

Library executive director Ruth Neely accepted a citation from state Sen. Devlin Robinson, R-Bridgeville, at the event.

Robinson wrote a letter in support of the library’s Keystone grant application, which made the latest renovation possible.

“The passion that you all have for this place is constantly being exuded,” Robinson said. “I know that you’re going to take care of it and I know you’re going to be good stewards of the library and the community.”

Shilling also led a panel discussion that featured former library board presidents and staffers.

Retired children’s department head Rita Crawford said one of her fondest memories was of the teamwork needed to move all the books after the 1999 expansion project was completed.

Children’s materials were moved from the first floor to the second via a “human chain” with community groups and individuals standing shoulder to shoulder moving as efficiently as any assembly line.

Former assistant director Lynne Schneider talked about how technology has evolved through the decades and when the library began using bar codes in 1992.

“I think anybody under 30 years old doesn’t remember the card catalog, which was the staple in all libraries,” Schneider said. “The staff here has always been wonderful. I’ve always enjoyed patrons who come into the library. It’s always nice to hear people’s stories and find what they’re looking for. I’ve retired, but I can’t leave. They are putting up with me part-time and I still enjoy being here.”

Several members of the audience shared their library experiences.

Nancy Merrill, one of the original members of the group Friends of the Sewickley Public Library, talked about a fundraiser in which they solicited drawings and doodles from actors, athletes, reporters and other local celebrities.

She said they were surprised by the hundreds of drawings they received, and the auction raised about $40,000. A special 150th-anniversary cake and other refreshments were served.

Neely said the event would not have been possible without Shilling and his team’s hard work.

“I learn something new in this library every day and I love it,” Neely said. “His unwavering commitment to the preservation of our history and our archival records not only brings us here together tonight, but I have to brag for him a little.”

Neely said Shilling secured a state grant to continue preserving the library’s history.