By 1880, aided by its antebellum industrial roots, Columbus, a bustling commercial town situated on the fall line of the Chattahoochee River, had fully recovered from the ravages of General James H. Wilson's Cavalry Raid during the Civil War and had repositioned itself as an industrialized "New South" city with large cotton factories, numerous mills, expansive warehouses, and an expanded urban and suburban population. Columbus adopted the urban ethos that accompanied the rapid pace of its growth and increased commercial and industrial prosperity. The population in the city proper mushroomed from 5,770 to 10,063 between 1860 and 1880. The surroundings and worldviews of the inhabitants were decidedly more urban than rural in perspective. The promotion of business and trade served as the focal point for Columbus' social, economic, and political leaders following the Civil War. The value of products manufactured in the city increased twofold from $1,400,000 in 1860 to over $3,000,000 in 1880. Capital investment in local manufacturing concerns exceeded $12,000 per resident and demonstrates the community's commitment to industrial growth. Per capita expenditures for manufacturing ranked second in the state in 1880.¹ Amazed by the city's economic recovery and expansion since 1866, a Taylor County farmer exclaimed in 1881 that he could "hardly believe his eyes." The prosperity of the 1880s also caused one local historian to label the decade as when Columbus found "its place in the sun."²

Columbus developed other means to justify its urban growth and to bolster the claim of finding "its place in the sun." Often overlooked, the founding of the Columbus Public Library symbolized the evolution from an agrarian society to a "New South," urban one. Its establishment reflected how Columbus' citizens thought about themselves, their surroundings, and cultural norms. Moreover, the library was viewed as a catalyst for substantial economic and social development. These themes are highlighted in the Columbus Library Association Minutes, January 1881 - April 1883.

The origins of the Chattahoochee Valley Regional Library System, headquartered in Columbus, may be officially traced to the summer of 1880 when members of the Columbus Public Library Association chartered a permanent, public library. Heretofore, there had been several attempts to establish a public library in Columbus. Private individuals often circulated their personal collections, and social organizations such as the Young Men's Catholic Union, the Columbus Choral Union, the Robert E. Lee Literary Society, and the Chattahoochee Boat Club had created their own circulating libraries. However, these libraries soon faltered when faced with the challenge of extending library privileges beyond their circle. Past failures gave Columbus little confidence in the success of the Columbus Public Library Association. The Columbus Daily Enquirer-Sun reported that the association was "very roughly handled" by its critics and that many citizens believed "all was on paper and nothing would be done."³

All was not on paper, however. The Columbus Public Library was born on January 10, 1881 during a meeting at the Springer Opera House. The charter members of the Columbus Public Library Association and members of the Library and Musical Association joined to adopt a formal charter as the Columbus Public Library Association. In describing the merger, the Enquirer-Sun reflected the possibilities and excitement the assembly engendered:

We have seldom attended a meeting where the result was more satisfactory that the blending of the two associations. If there were any present who felt any disappointment they were careful to conceal the fact… We see no reason now why Columbus should not have a library second to none in the State. The membership embraces many of the very best and most public spirited and enterprising citizens in the city. Everything is now in harmony and all it requires is a little energy to give it a start that will soon make it self-sustaining.⁴

In a reversal of earlier criticisms of the library endeavor, Columbus citizens rallied behind the merger of the library associations and voiced their support. In a letter to the Enquirer-Sun, an unidentified reader poignantly expressed the New South creed that was informative to an urban populace:

The subject of a Public Library in Columbus, is agitating the public mind, and steps are being taken to bring into life this great need of our enterprising and growing city, and in truth, no city in the state is more in need of the education advantages of a public library than the city of Columbus…Our population are a laboring people, not idlers, and would delight in extending their labor in the research and field of letters during their spare hours, as in the shops and manufactories during the legal hours of labor; and intelligence renders labor more efficient; therefore it is equally important to the capitalist of the city, that all should have the advantages of an education.⁵

The Columbus Public Library Association set quickly to revise its constitution and bylaws, and the resulting documents reflected the societal norms of the day. Although established with the object of serving the public "regardless of denominational influences, sect, creed or nationality," all citizens would not be afforded the advantages of the library--the matter of race proved to be intractable. The library was to be a white-only institution. Membership was restricted to "any white person over fifteen years of age."⁶

Issues of gender norms in Columbus come into focus when the board sought to replace the librarian in August 1882. Wishing to serve as the librarian for the Columbus Public Library, Mrs. Louise Clark Pyrnelle inquired about the post. The board responded that "women were not eligible for the position."

The late nineteenth-century Columbus Library Association Minutes presented in digitized form on this Web site offer insight into the complex role of the library as a social and cultural institution. They highlight the formation of gender, class, and racial identities and their effect on the development and operations of the Columbus Public Library. In a larger sense, they also speak to the role of the library as an institution in Georgia and the South.

Endnotes

1. University of Virginia, Geospatial and Statistical Data Center, Historical Census Browser. [online resource] http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/index.html [cited May 8, 2008]. [resume reading]
2. John Lupold, Columbus, Georgia 1828-1978 (Columbus, Ga.: Columbus Sesquicentennial, Inc., 1978), preface; Etta Blanchard Worsley, Columbus on the Chattahoochee (Columbus, Ga.: Columbus Office Supply Company, 1951), 355 [resume reading]
3. Columbus Daily Enquirer-Sun, "Columbus Public Library," August, 29, 1880. [resume reading]
4. Columbus Daily Enquirer-Sun, "Public Library," January 11, 1881. [resume reading]
5. Columbus Daily Enquirer-Sun, "Public Library: Meeting of the Directors Thursday Night," January 15, 1881. [resume reading]
6. Columbus Daily Enquirer-Sun, "Public Library: The Constitution as revised by the Committee," January 24, 1881. [resume reading]