Dixon Carnegie Library

First settled in 1868, Dixon was initially known as Dicksonville. It was named for Thomas Dickson, who donated an acre of land for the proposed train station. Dixon had no real center of market activity until the Southern Pacific Railroad decided to extend their railway system. When the railroad came through, it was economically advantageous for the citizens to change the town’s boundaries. The townspeople relocated several buildings by rolling them on logs bringing them closer to the new train station. Due to a stationmaster’s misspelling, Dicksonville became the City of Dixon.  

At the time, trade was based on agriculture and ranching, primarily sheep and dairy cattle. With the advent of the railroad, many transient workers were hired and brought in to lay the tracks. Enterprising shopkeepers realized that they could profit by providing hotel accommodations and entertainment to the mostly young male rail workers. Eventually the downtown became blighted with saloons, bordellos, and gambling halls. Public displays of drunkenness and fist fighting made it difficult for the townspeople and merchants to conduct normal day-to-day business. Before long, the citizens became concerned and took measures to “clean up” the downtown district. 

As the population of Solano County’s townships grew, the need for a connection with culture and the broader society became more important. The literary and cultural needs of urbanized cities could be satisfied with grand municipal library buildings operated by professional librarians. The rural citizens of Solano County however, received only sporadic visits by horse-drawn traveling libraries, which could not sufficiently serve the diverse population. In more settled vicinities, an available alternative might be a “reading room” set up in a storefront or in a private residence that could be using during specific hours. Although short-lived, the Dixon Reading Club was one such alternative. 

In 1899, a woman’s group in Dixon known as the Shakespearean Club traveled to nearby settlements giving lectures and performing plays and recitals. Their aim was to entertain as well as to culturally enlighten their audiences. In 1903 the group changed their name and became the Woman’s Improvement Club of Dixon, whose focus was promoting the betterment of their community. During the early years of the twentieth century, women’s groups and clubs across the United States were instrumental in helping to broaden school curricula and in raising awareness about the importance of having local museums and libraries. 

The longing to obtain a building for the purpose of a library became a growing concern that garnered the attention of Dixon’s civic leaders. Beginning in 1898, the philanthropic program administered through the Carnegie Corporation in New York City made it possible for cities and towns desiring a library to apply for a grant if they could meet certain conditions. Money would not be granted for library construction until the citizens could first agree to obtain a plot of land and to promise they would manage the operating and maintenance costs on their own. Since the economy of Dixon was not predicated upon a large enough population to support the cost of construction, nor the ongoing expenses of a library, it initially appeared to be an unfeasible position.

The Dixon Woman’s Improvement Club (DWIC) learned of the endowments for libraries given by Andrew Carnegie that made it possible for qualifying communities to afford new libraries. They strongly felt the need for a library building that would provide education and a level of culture that could not be obtained otherwise. They also were anxious for the opportunity to revitalize the dilapidated downtown and to replace the shabby structures with a library building that would restore a sense of civic pride. At their urging, J. H. Peterson, state assemblyman and resident of the area, wrote to Andrew Carnegie’s private secretary, James Bertram, in August 1905. He asked for grant money and explained that the city wanted a library added to the high school property to improve those facilities. Since the inhabitants of Dixon would not be able to afford the conditions of the grant, the request was denied. The DWIC were confident that such a grant would eventually be given to Dixon. Although some of the city’s elected officials were not enthusiastic about undertaking the required commitment to obtain the Carnegie funds, the ladies’ persistence eventually overcame their hesitation. 

Members of the DWIC pioneered a letter campaign and several letters requesting a library grant were sent to Mr. Carnegie and replied to by Mr. Bertram. Bertram required that all stipulations must be met before further consideration of a potential grant. The Carnegie Corporation grants given in California ranged in the amounts of $2,500 to $750,000 usually based upon population size. The amount most given was $10,000 for communities the size of Dixon, now increased to several thousand people because of new legislation. Dixon citizens voted to approve the tax obligation in 1911 and began to investigate possible building sites. 

Dixon Carnegie Library, National Register of Historic Places. Accessed December 31st 2020. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857818.

History of the Dixon Public Library, Dixon Public Library. Accessed January 22nd 2021. https://meetings.dixonlibrary.com/about/history.