Looking back at the Cleveland Bradley County Public Library in the 1920s.  This is the second in a series of articles marking the Cleveland Bradley County Public Library’s 100th anniversary.

Miss Annie Elizabeth Bowman was named Librarian of the new Cleveland Public Library.  Known to all as “Miss Annie,” she grew up on a farm in Cleveland, and received her early education in city schools. In 1907 she graduated from Centenary College, and began her career at Davenport College in North Carolina, teaching expression. A year later she returned to her hometown and taught in both city and county schools until 1923 when she accepted the position of Librarian at the city’s first public library.

In 1925, two years after the opening of the Cleveland Public Library, the city proudly opened a branch library within College Hill School, with Mrs. U. L. Knox serving as Librarian. The new library’s shelves were filled with 860 well-chosen volumes, a gift from the Johnston family in memory of their mother and grandmother, Sarah Tucker Johnston.

Local organizations supported the public library by sponsoring fund raisers to ensure that it would be fully-funded until tax revenues were available. One of the organizations, the Kiwanis Club, raised over $1200 “to keep the lights on.” The Woman’s Club, long an advocate for the library, held annual “book showers” as well as hosting plays and other entertainments. One entertainment, “The Magic Mirror,” a tableaux illustrating well-known books, was presented at the Centenary College auditorium, with all of the proceeds donated to the library’s book fund.  In addition to reading about our library, look for special events throughout the year. Join us as we celebrate its founding and growth as “the seat of literary hospitality for Cleveland and Bradley County.”