Clarkston Public Library
a.k.a. Asotin County Library
6th and Chestnut Sts., Clarkston, WAThe Clarkston Library Association was formed in 1902 when an Episcopal priest received a gift of several boxes of books. The library was housed in the church vestry at first. When the city requested a $5,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie, he responded by suggesting that they take $10,000 instead. This meant that the grant would be conditioned upon a promise to expend $1,000 per year on maintenance, rather than the $500 originally planned. This extra expense was thought to be an excessively heavy burden for the tax payers of such a small city to bear. It was suggested that the tax base be enlarged by considering that the taxing entity to receive the grant be the school district, rather than the city, and Carnegie agreed. This was quite unusual, since he almost always insisted that his grants be made only to city governments. The lots for the library were donated by the Lewiston-Clarkston Improvement Company, which was owned by Charles Francis Adams, a latter-day descendant of the famous Massachusetts family. The library, which was constructed in 1913, continues in its original function and now serves as a regional library for southeast Washington state.
This library has been an important cultural center for the southeast Washington area for many years and has thus played a significant role in its history. It is also a good example of a typical Carnegie Library, especially inside.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.