Lincoln Public Library (not an ISHS Marker)
CITY:
Lincoln
COUNTY:
Logan
DEDICATED BY:
Lincoln Public Library Board, The Friends of the Library and The Logan County Tourism Committee
DEDICATION DATE:
January 1, 1900 at 6:00:00 AM
This marker is located on the lawn of the Lincoln Public Library at 725 Pekin Street, Lincoln, Illinois.
The Lincoln Public Library is a fine example of public neo-classical construction. This W.A. Otis structure was completed in 1903. A stained glass dome and oak woodwork highlight the interior. Major benefactors were Steven Foley who guided its construction, Isabel Nash who willed her home as the site, and the Carnegie Foundation. The Library’s history typifies the combination of national wealth, grass roots initiative, and the cultural ideals which generated the free library movement and its goal of a free and educated American society. The Library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.