Celebrating 75 Years of Stories at Oconee County Public Library

Celebrating 75 Years

of stories at the oconee public library

Oconee County Public Library celebrated its 75th Anniversary in 2023! Oconee History Museum and Oconee County Public Library have partnered to create this digital exhibit to showcase the impressive history of the libraries in Oconee County, as they work to provide the community with free resources and access to a world full of information.

Early Libraries

In the late 1890s, many individuals, especially the women of Oconee County, made a concerted effort to improve community literacy by providing reading material for school children and local citizens.

Women’s Clubs were instrumental in the development of early libraries in Oconee County. These clubs would donate books to the library, and local residents could purchase an annual subscription to access all library materials. As the library’s collection and patronage grew, so did its need for more space and easier access. Various Women’s Club members hosted the library in their own homes, serving as impromptu librarians. Later, the duty of hosting the library fell to local businesses.

These clubs would also provide circulating libraries for local schools. In 1900, the SC Federation of Women’s Clubs had 16 circulating libraries throughout the state, 2 of which were in Oconee County.

School Libraries

Despite its reputation as South Carolina’s rural and remote “Dark Corner”, Oconee County made great strides in providing public education. The same civic organizations that championed community libraries also championed the development of school libraries. Many of the early traveling libraries also made stops at local schoolhouses. Books were available to teachers and children for classroom or personal use. Later, the civic organizations would donate books or funding for books to the local schools so that each school could create its own library collection.

Faith Cabin Libraries were a system of libraries created in South Carolina and Georgia in the 1930s and 1940s to provide library services to Black Americans who were not allowed to use public libraries. In 1937, a Faith Cabin library opened on the campus of the Seneca Junior College to provide for the needs of its students and the local Black community. It was known as the Oberlin Unit because it was largely the result of the interest and efforts of students at Oberlin College in Ohio. The library remained open for only two years, closing with Seneca Junior College in 1939. Today, it is the only surviving building from the Seneca Junior College campus, and is only one of two remaining Faith Cabin Libraries in South Carolina, of which only 30 were built in the state between 1932-1943.

WPA Library in Seneca

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) provided library services throughout the state of South Carolina between 1936 and 1943. However, these services were disproportionately provided to white citizens. During the time that the WPA provided library services in South Carolina, there were more Faith Cabin Libraries serving the Black population than WPA libraries.

Oconee County Public Library Establishment & Growth

In May 1934, Oconee County held a referendum to establish a county-wide library system. Many citizens were opposed. A pamphlet was circulated among Oconee citizens urging them to vote against the referendum because of the tax increase that would be necessary to create the library system. Greenville County Library sent its circulating library truck to Oconee for citizens to see and assess its benefits for themselves. The Oconee County library referendum was defeated with 865 opposed, 204 in favor.

That same year a meeting was held at Clemson College to discuss the creation of a regional library system. This system would include Anderson, Pickens, and Oconee Counties. Although this meeting was well attended, the regional library system did not garner the support to see it through.

Despite these setbacks, the Oconee County Library Association formed in 1936 and organized plans for a circulating library that would serve schools and local communities.

By 1947 a group of citizens, primarily women, gathered with the purpose of petitioning Oconee’s Legislative delegation to establish a county library. Many Oconee citizens signed the petition, and it was submitted to the delegation. Finally, in 1948, South Carolina enacted a law creating the Oconee County Library. The funding for the Oconee’s library came from direct State appropriation and not by tax millage, unlike the rest of the County government.

During its first official year, the library commission focused on obtaining books and a bookmobile rather than a permanent physical location for a library.

First Oconee County Library Commission Report 1948

Photo Gallery: Library Annual Report Covers

OCPL Through The Years

Courtesy of South Carolina State Library

Courtesy of Oconee County Public Library

Click on images to zoom.

Sources: South Carolina State Library and Oconee County Public Library

Bookmobile

The Oconee County Library Commission recognized that it was difficult for many citizens in Oconee’s remote areas to access library services. The Library could reach more people if books could be brought directly to citizens, rather than expecting citizens to visit a physical library location. In 1948, the Library Commission purchased a truck that would be converted and turned into the very first Oconee County Library Bookmobile. When it hit the road, the Bookmobile quickly achieved frequent use by rural adults and children alike. A schedule of stops was published in local newspapers and distributed by the Bookmobile. Although the Bookmobile couldn’t offer the same amount of books as a traditional library, patrons were able to make requests for books at a branch library location and the Bookmobile would deliver their request to them. The Bookmobile quickly contributed to increased literacy rates throughout Oconee County.

Photo Gallery: Bookmobile

Click on images to zoom.

Sources: South Carolina State Library and Oconee County Public Library

Bookmobile Dedication Program

Oconee: Golden Corner of South Carolina

Follow the Oconee County Public Library Bookmobile on a journey through Oconee County.
Note: Diminished sound quality at the beginning of the video.

Library Branch Histories

Walhalla Branch

Despite the success of the Bookmobile, the need for a physical location soon became apparent. Initially, the library was housed in the “Rock Building” (currently home to Oconee Military Museum, next to the Oconee County Courthouse). Consistent growth and demand in its early years caused growing pains for the library. The library was running out of room and needed to secure a larger facility. In 1953, the nearby Chicopee Mill allowed the library to take over a few rooms in the mill’s former clinic at the corner of South Spring and Lucas Streets in Walhalla. This building allowed the library to grow and flourish. Eventually, in 1955, the Chicopee Mill donated the building to the Oconee County Library system. In 1979, the first newly built Walhalla branch library opened, and it is still serving the community today.

Westminster Branch

The first Westminster branch library opened in July 1950 in the England building at 111 W. Main Street. The branch was forced to move several times before securing a permanent location. In 1953 it occupied part of City Hall. In 1973 the library moved to Retreat Street, and then to the Depot in 1975. Finally, in 1979, the current permanent location opened.

Westminster Branch Dedication Program (First Location)

Westminster Branch Dedication Program (Current Location)

Seneca Branch

The Seneca Library opened in April 1953 in the Laurel Room of the Richardson Theater on Townville Street. In 1956, the library moved to the Smith home at 214 N. Pine Street. By the 1960s, community members began expressing the need for a permanent Seneca Library location. On October 20, 1968 the Seneca Library was dedicated in its current location. The Seneca Library was the first purpose-built library building, since in the past libraries were just given spaces in other buildings. After much community effort to keep the branch open, ownership of the Seneca Library was transferred to the Oconee County Library system on October 28, 1983. A few years later, in 1985, the library expanded.

Seneca Branch Dedication Program

Salem Branch

The first Salem Library opened in 1952 in Salem’s Town Hall. The library moved to a storefront on Main Street in 1966. The Oconee County Public Library again partnered with the Town of Salem to locate the library in its municipal complex, which opened in 1981.

Past Branches

In the growing years of the library, not only were there the main branches we enjoy today, but other branches that only existed for a short time that served some of the more rural communities in Oconee.

The Oconee County Library was the first system in the state to try “Station Branches”. Station branches were located in small buildings or businesses in rural communities and would be operated by community volunteers. The first station branch was in the Cross Roads community in 1957 and closed in 1964. In 1958 the Shiloh and Fair Play communities expressed interest in station branches in their communities. Soon after, those station branches were opened. The Shiloh Branch operated from 1958 to 1963 and the Fair Play Branch operated 1958 to 1973. After these branches closed, the Bookmobile was scheduled to stop in these communities to continue providing access to those residents.

In 1963, Oconee and Pickens Counties came together to operate a joint branch in Clemson. Both counties divided resources equally to manage the branch. The Clemson Branch closed in 1968 after the City of Clemson voted to be annexed into Pickens County.

Integration

Although Oconee County Public Library branches were never officially segregated facilities, Black patrons’ access to the library’s lending collection was limited to a separate collection of books. This collection was described in library records as the “Negro Collection”, and it was only about one third of the size of the collection available to white patrons. In a 1949 Oconee County Library Commission report, it was mentioned that “so few negros have used the library facilities granted them that the Commissioners cannot feel that the service given is filling a need”. However, this did not stop the library from providing services to Black patrons. In Library Board Minutes from April 1952, it was suggested that separate white and Black libraries be established in Seneca, since the majority of the county’s Black citizens resided there. However, a separate branch for Black patrons was never established. On March 19, 1954, a “Negro Reading Room” opened at the Walhalla branch library. In the Oconee County Library Commission report for that month it was reported that the number of Black patrons immediately increased from 12 to 47. In 1961, the library’s “Negro Collection” was fully incorporated into its general collection, thus completely integrating the library’s collection and ensuring all Oconee County citizens’ access to all library resources.

Library Services

Community outreach and meeting the needs of Oconee County citizens has always been the primary mission of the Oconee County Public Library. The Oconee County Public Library provides resources and welcoming places where people of all ages can understand how to find, use, and evaluate information, make informed decisions, know their community, and satisfy curiosity.

Youth Services

From the beginning, Oconee County Public Library was determined to provide children with access to quality library materials, as well as enjoyable educational programs that encouraged literacy and positive engagement with the library. Summer reading programs became popular in the 1950s and encouraged children to continue reading during their break from school. These programs were initially more like book clubs than the elaborate program series we know today. During times of racial segregation, the Walhalla library hosted the “Negro Book Club” for Black children to have a similar opportunity as white children. Librarians chose a new theme each summer and encouraged children to read books that fit the chosen theme. In 2019 Youth Services created Literacy Kits. These kits were developed due to a proposed change to state law. In short, children unable to read at a third grade level were subject to being held back another year. To reduce the stress associated with this change Youth Services created kits covering grades K-5. Each kit contains several books and a game.

Vertical File / Reference

The vertical file was a filing cabinet with organized information on various topics that librarians created and used to respond to patrons’ research questions in the days before the Internet. The first vertical file was created in 1954. This file helped many school children write reports and develop projects for their classes. As more information became available and easily accessible online, the vertical file became unnecessary.

Technology & Internet

Despite being a rural library system, Oconee County Public Library embraced and adopted technology that improved library operations and services. Library staff began using automation in the late 1980s to more efficiently process library materials. More technology was added throughout the 1990s, eventually providing patrons with access to computers and the Internet.

In 1998, the Oconee County Public Library received a grant from the Gates Foundation, which provided multiple computers for patrons to use. Libraries all across the country received the Gates Foundation grant and initiated the transition in libraries from only providing printed materials to providing access to technology that accessed the entire world.

Oconee County Public Library was at the forefront of adopting technology within the Oconee County government. The libraries had the first intradepartmental communication network in Oconee County government. This soon became a model for other Oconee County government offices who were working to increase efficiency, decrease expenses, and improve their ability to serve Oconee’s citizens. Library staff served as their own IT Department, until the County IT department was added.

2001 was a paramount year of change for the Oconee County Public Library. The age of the Internet had begun in Oconee County. The library was yet again at the forefront of this technological advancement. They even advertised that they were the place for the Internet.

Computers and the Internet immediately became a new and fascinating thing to explore. It quickly became apparent that learning how to use computers and navigate the Internet would be essential to modern life. To meet this new need, Oconee County Public Library offered classes in computer use, Internet use, and other technologies. Many adults took these classes as a way to investigate if they wanted these technologies in their own homes. Some community members expressed concern about this rapid change and adoption of technology. Over time, many people found that these technologies could provide expanded access to information and broader connection with people and communities.

Today, Oconee County Public Library continues to provide technological access to its patrons by providing computers, Wi-Fi access, e-books, databases, smartspots, and much more.

Library of Things

Oconee County Public Library also realized that lending and meeting the needs of Oconee residents didn’t have to stop with books and computers. Although the Library of Things was officially established more recently, in the past the library has provided access to things like art prints and Polaroid cameras for patrons to check out. Today, The Library of Things provides access to a huge variety of things. Items include park passes, Children’s museum passes, microscopes, telescopes, literacy kits and much more! The Library of Things gives access to items that might be financially out of reach to patrons.

Beyond Books

In 2011 Oconee County Public Library began offering e-books, and patron use has continued to grow over the years. In 2017 the library acquired Launchpads. The tablets have preloaded educational games covering reading, math, and so much more. Best of all these tablets do not require access to Wi-Fi, making them great for road trips.

Seed Library

The Betty B. Watkins Seed Library is a resource provided by the library and the Oconee History Museum for Oconee residents to obtain garden seeds for free. Providing a seed library to the communities of Oconee County allows information sharing, culture sharing, food diversity, money saving, seed preservation and sustainability, plus the ability to just try something new. Donations made in memory of Betty B. Watkins to the library are being used to fund the seed library. Mrs. Watkins was an avid gardener and a founding member of the Lazy Daisy Garden Club.

Providing Access to Local History

Before institutions like Oconee History Museum existed, the Oconee County Public Library was the caretaker for many historical documents and artifacts. Just as they do with books, the library protects and provides access to these sources of historical information.

South Carolina Room

As public interest in local history and genealogy grew, the library stepped up to assist researchers. The South Carolina Room collection began with Mrs. Wade C. Hughs’ donation of the German Colony Protocol in 1960. This document chronicled the founding of Walhalla. Since then, the library has collected historic documents, family history books, census records, maps, microfilmed local newspapers and more so that the public can better research their past. The highlight of the South Carolina room is the Ann Rogers Index, which is a card file collection of genealogical information that was cross-referenced from local newspapers.

The OCPL’s Local History Associate, Quientell Walker, curates the South Carolina Room and provides genealogy and local history research services.

German Colony Protocol

In 1960, Mrs. Wade C. Hughs, a descendant of Walhalla founder Diedrich Biemann, donated the German Colony Protocol to the Oconee County Library. This book contained the minutes of the German Colonization Society of Charleston, which settled and established the town of Walhalla. The Protocol was written primarily in German with some English in later years. The library was able to have The Protocol translated by B.E. Schaeffer. Once translated, the Library published and made the translation available to patrons. The library also realized what a valuable piece of history the Protocol was and distributed printed copies to other libraries across the state. In recent years The Protocol has been digitized and made available to all online. The original and authentic German Colony Protocol is now on display at Oconee History Museum.

Newspaper Indexing

The Keowee Courier was first indexed by volunteers Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Moore in the late 1970s. Their invaluable contributions have created access to the newspaper that would have otherwise been difficult.

Ann Rogers Newspaper / Cemetery Index

Mrs. Janice Antoinette “Ann” Morris Rogers was a library volunteer who worked tirelessly to improve the genealogical resources of the South Carolina Room. Mrs. Rogers started volunteering for the Oconee County Public Library in 1978, and between 2011 and her death in 2015, she contributed over 4,710 volunteer hours.

Mrs. Rogers visited over 250 Oconee County cemeteries and documented over 35,000 tombstone inscriptions, which she then transcribed onto index cards that are kept on file at the Walhalla Main Library. The collection contains over 40,000 cards in the cemetery index alone. After finishing that massive project, she went on to transcribe all the birth, death, marriages, marriage licenses, divorces, and anniversaries in the local newspapers held in the library’s microfilm collection.

In 2013, Mrs. Rogers won the Oconee County Public Library’s Volunteer of the Year Award and was the first recipient of the Sarah Mills Norton Award (requiring a minimum of 50 volunteer hours to be nominated). On May 16, 2013, she was recognized at the South Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Awards at the State House and Governor’s Mansion in Columbia, SC. She was presented with the volunteer award in the Direct Services Category by Governor Nikki Haley.

On April 14, 2016 Oconee County Public Library renamed the South Carolina Room to the Mrs. Janice Antoinette “Ann” Rogers Memorial Room. When asked about the motivation that guided her work, she replied “To help preserve the memories of loved ones.”

Library Awards & Honors

The success of the Oconee County Public Library depends on the selfless dedication of volunteers, community members, and library staff. Each year awards are given to recognize those who go above and beyond.

Lucile Bellote Moore Award

A native of Seneca, Mrs. Moore was a graduate of Georgia State Teachers College and a very active member of the community, especially of the Presbyterian Church where her interests extended to Presbyterian schools and colleges. She died in 1989. The award is especially fitting because during her lifetime, Mrs. Moore volunteered her time in many venues: as a member of the National Society Daughters of Colonial Wars, as a member of the Blue Hills Garden Club and as a member of the Paul Hayne Circle of Walhalla, as well as a leader in many activities of her church. In 1992, in honor of Mrs. Moore’s service, the Library Board of Trustees voted “to begin an annual recognition of one strong promoter of the library,” and to make that presentation at the annual meeting of the Friends of the Library. With the start of the new VIP Program, the Friends of the Library thought it only fitting that the award be presented at the VIP recognition event.

Sarah Mills Norton Award

Sarah Mills Norton was instrumental in the foundation of the Oconee County Library, which opened its doors in 1948. She was the first chairperson of the Oconee County Library Board in 1948 and served on the Board until 1968 in various capacities. In June 1978 Oconee County Council recognized her years of service and devotion by passing a resolution to name the new main Oconee County Library in her honor.

She also served on the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross from 1955-1963. She attended Randolph-Macon College and the University of South Carolina. She was the wife of William Lawrence Norton and a member of Walhalla Presbyterian Church.

Each year the library awards the Sarah Mills Norton Award to a volunteer for service and dedication to the library.

Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award

Dorothy Canfield Fisher (1879-1958) was a social reformer, activist, and best-selling author in the early 20th Century.

The Book-of-the-Month Club established the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award in 1959 after Mrs. Fisher’s passing as a lasting memorial to their friend and associate, who served as a member of the editorial board of the club. The award was an annual grant of $5000 and nine supplementary grants of $1000 each for the purchase of books to libraries in the United States. The American Library Association assisted with the selection of the award winners.

The Oconee County Public Library was selected to receive one of the nine supplementary $1000 awards in 1962. The award was officially presented to the library during National Library Week. A ceremony was hosted by the Pilot Club of Walhalla for the library on April 9, 1962 at the Clemson House.

Friends of OCPL

The Oconee County Friends of the Library was organized in 1985. It is a 501(c)(3) organization of volunteers dedicated to serving the Oconee County Public Library System. The purpose of the group is to contribute financial and volunteer assistance to supplement the library’s resources, support library programs and stimulate community awareness, use and involvement with the Library.

OCPL Today

Today the OCPL offers so much more than when it began in 1948. Despite not being able to obtain funding for new, modern buildings for the community, the library is flourishing with its services to the community. Staff at the library provide top-notch service, from books to computers to programs, the library does it all.

Thank You!

This program is supported by South Carolina Humanities, a not-for-profit organization; inspiring, engaging and enriching South Carolinians with programs on literature, history, culture and heritage. SC Humanities receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.

Special recognition and thanks goes to Quientell Walker (Oconee County Public Library), Jennifer Moss (Oconee History Museum), Leslie Hagerty (Oconee History Museum), Bethany Culp (Oconee County Public Library) and Blair Hinson (Oconee County Public Library). Oconee County Public Library expresses gratitude to the Oconee County Delegation for South Carolina Education Lottery funds to purchase scanning equipment for this project.