Carnegie Library, St. Joseph Missouri

The historic Carnegie Library was built in 1902 for the largely working class, immigrant community in St. Joseph that grew around the nearby stockyards. It is named after philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), who agreed to pay for its construction upon the request of stockyard operator John Donovan Jr. (1854-1913). The purpose of the library was to provide educational opportunities and help create a sense of community for the residents. Designed by architect Edmund J. Eckel, it continues to operate today as a branch of the St. Joseph Library and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

John Donovan Jr. was born in 1854 in Easton, Maryland. His family moved to St. Joseph in 1868 and he got a job as an errand boy in a shoe store. When he was older he became a clerk for a railroad. After briefly working for the Northern Kansas Land and Town Company, in 1871 he bought cattle in northwest Missouri and drove them to Maryville to sell to farmers. Donovan then got a job working as a messenger for the State National Bank of St. Joseph. Ten years later he bought a 440-acre tract of swamp land in the lowlands of St. Joseph and drained the water to use the land as a stockyards. His company, the St. Joseph Stockyards, attracted others in the coming years. In 1890, Donovan's company became the St. Joseph Stockyards & Terminal Company.

These companies attracted large numbers of immigrants seeking work who settled in neighborhood around the stockyards. As a result, the area became a thriving community. Carnegie awarded St. Joseph a grant of $50,000 to build the two libraries on February 13, 1901. It isn't clear if he initially planned to donate funds just for the St. Joseph Library and then received the request from Donovan about building a library in South St. Joseph. Nevertheless, Carnegie agreed to Donovan's request. Donovan donated the property and the residents of South St. Joseph, which had been incorporated into St. Joseph in 1899, agreed to pay an annual sum of $2,500 for operation and maintenance. Construction began in 1901 and was completed in November 1902. It formally opened on December 1. It was one of the first branch libraries erected in Missouri.

"About the Carnegie Library." St. Joseph Public Library. Accessed October 4, 2022. https://sjpl.lib.mo.us/library-locations/carnegie-library.

Weeks, Clyde D. "St. Joseph Public Library-Carnegie Branch." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. May 20, 1999. https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/media/63818393/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MO/99000595.pdf.