Thanks to our partner, Durham County Library, a batch containing new blueprints, drawings, Festival for the Eno posters, and maps are now available to view on DigitalNC. There are several interesting materials from this batch, including blueprints for the Durham Colored Library and Juvenile Delinquents and Probation, 1950-1968 maps.

In 1916, John Merrick and Dr. Aaron M. Moore established the Durham Public Library in a building owned by Merrick at the corner of Fayetteville and Pettigrew streets. While the city of Durham, and later Durham County, provided appropriation for the library, the amounts were meager which meant they relied heavily on community support. In 1925, Hattie B. Wooten–the first librarian–began enacting her plan to increase circulation and promote the library. Her three-point plan was to promote the library as a place of interest for visitors, invite all community groups to host their meetings at the library, have the library placed in the Negro Yearbook.

Successful in her plan, the popularity of the library increased so much that they outgrew their space in Merrick’s building. Unfortunately, it was not until the late 1930s that they were finally able to make headway on relocating. In 1939, the library’s board of trustees passed a resolution to build a new library building that would be located at the corner of Umstead and Fayetteville. While significant sums were donated by several individuals including Dr. Stanford L. Warren who donated $4,000, the new building was financed primarily through a $24,000 loan from the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company. In 1939, architect R. R. Markley drew up and revised the blueprints for the Durham Colored Library, which are part of this batch. The new library building, named in honor of Dr. Stanford L. Warren, opened January 17, 1940 and continues to serve patrons today.

To learn more about Durham County Library, visit their website.

To browse more materials from Durham County Library, visit their contributor page here.

Information about the Stanford L. Warren Library / Durham Colored Library was collected from the Durham County Library’s online exhibit, “The History of the Stanford L. Warren Library.”