Grand Haven, MI (WGHN) – The Loutit District Library will receive a $10,000 gift from Carnegie Corporation of New York, the foundation established by Andrew Carnegie.
The award is part of Carnegie Libraries 250, a special initiative celebrating the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and honoring the
roughly 1,280 Carnegie Libraries still serving their communities across the United States. Scottish immigrant Andrew Carnegie funded the construction of 1,681 free public libraries nationwide between 1886 and 1917. Approximately 750 of them continue to use their original buildings, while others have moved to new locations.
Opened in 1914, our library is one of the 61 Carnegie Libraries in Michigan built through this historic program. “In their original request to Andrew Carnegie, the Grand Haven Women’s Club began by saying, ‘Dear Sir- Perhaps no town in our State has ever been in so crippled a condition for want of good literature as the beautiful lake port of Grand Haven, Michigan […]’ They
requested the funding to build a library after Central School and its library had burned two years prior, leaving the city without a public resource for literature.”
“Today, the legacy of the Women’s Club lives on through a monthly-meeting group called Local Ladies Lunching and Learning at Loutit Library, or L6 for short, who meet on the first
Wednesday of the month for an educational presentation and discussion. We hope we have fulfilled the original hopes of the Women’s Club in furthering the ‘intellectual […]
growth of this community’ and are so thankful for the support from the Carnegie Corporation in the past and present,” said Chelsea Payton, Community Engagement and
Marketing Manager.
“We are delighted to be one of the many recipients of the Carnegie grants celebrating the 250th anniversary of our nation. Our library started small, with a donation from Andrew
Carnegie, and grew into what it is today, a robust and thriving organization serving a multitude of needs throughout the community. We are grateful to Carnegie Corporation of
New York for their generous gift of $10,000, which will be used to benefit the people of the Grand Haven area,” said Ellen Peters, Executive Director.
“Our founder, Andrew Carnegie, who championed the free public library movement of the late 19th century, described libraries as ‘cradles of democracy’ that ‘strengthen the
democratic idea, the equality of the citizen, and the royalty of man,’” said Dame Louise Richardson, president of Carnegie and former head of the University of Oxford. “We still believe this and are delighted to celebrate our connection to the libraries he founded.”
The Loutit District Library will receive the gift in January 2026 and plans to use the funds to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary, further the library’s mission, and benefit the
community.
Patrons are invited to share their Loutit District Library photos, stories, and community celebrations at carnegielibraries.org.
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