Library 100th Celebration…A Bit of History! March 2023
by Barbara Fagen
Looking back at the Cleveland Bradley County Public Library in the 1940s. This is the fourth in a series of articles marking the Cleveland Bradley County Public Library’s 100th anniversary.
Blustery weather didn’t keep more than 200 visitors from crowding into the Woman’s Club room at the library to see the oddities and treasures displayed at the Antiques and Hobby Show. Among the displays were the silver spoons belonging to Mrs. John Bowman’s mother that were hidden is a feather bed during the Civil War, and a platter belonging to Mr. H. H. Knox that was given to his grandmother by Governor McMinn.
Patriotism, the war, and the support of our troops in Europe was on everyone’s mind. Children brought their wagons and gathered in front of the library to collect newspapers or other items to donate to the Red Cross. Women’s groups met regularly in the upper rooms of the library to make surgical dressings and knit sweaters. Mrs. Florence Murphy was awarded a $25 war bond, offered by the Cherokee Hotel Company, to the Red Cross volunteer worker who made
the most surgical dressings in one month. Mrs. Murphy spent 139 ½ hours in the library’s work room making a total of 3,380 dressings. The Knitting for Bradley County Chapter of the American Red Cross, led by Mrs. W. A. Garrott, contributed low neck, short sleeved sweaters for hospitalized servicemen, as well as other items.
By the close of the decade, The History of Bradley County, by Reverend John Morgan Wooten was ready for publication. Reverend Wooten had done much of his work on the book in the largest upstairs room of the library. His work was sponsored by Cleveland Chapter 6 of the American Legion, and was dedicated to the Bradley County men who had given their lives during the two World Wars.
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.”
