Hampton Public Library to Celebrate 120 Years

The Hampton Public Library has a big birthday coming up. The establishment's doors were first opened on Oct. 6, 1905 — 120 years ago.

To celebrate the milestone, the board at the library has pulled together a fun day of festivities, which are scheduled to take place on Monday, Oct. 6. The celebration will kick off at 4:30 p.m. that afternoon. Hampton Public Library Director Suzy Knipfel encourages community members to stop by around 5 p.m. on Oct. 6 for a recreation of a photo that was taken on the opening day of the library 120 years ago. A free community meal, sponsored by First Bank Hampton, will be held in Band Shell Park immediately after the group photo is taken, with Pete the Cat expected to make an appearance as well.

Read more about the library's history and influence below.

The birth of the library

(Most of the following information was sourced from "The Carnegie Libraries of Iowa.")

The first attempt to establish a public library in Hampton by use of public funds was made in 1869, shortly after the Civil War, as citizens of Iowa tried to return to a normal life, according to "The Carnegie Libraries of Iowa."

The book states that this early initiative failed, but that it was brought up again twenty years later, in the winter of 1889.

As described in the book, "Under the old school law, school districts could establish a tax to support a community library. A motion was made to place a one-mill tax on the March ballot. The election was held on March 11, 1889 and the tax passed 97 to 76. This tax brought about $300 for a library. the school board had to vote again on how to allocate the funds and that was decided upon at the meeting on March 10, 1890 after the $300 had been collected. At that point the public library was now funded and established. There were several issues as to whether the tax levee was properly obtained, but these legal wrangling did not stop the school from buying three hundred dollars worth of new books."

The books were then placed in the basement of the Beed Block. After this, then-Mayor J. M. Hemingway proposed that a vote be taken to establish a permanent library in the late winter of 1891. The election was held on March 1, 1891 and passed by 97 to 28. The mayor appointed five trustees. Two of the trustees were school board members who had supported the library from the beginning.

A contract was then made between the library board and the library board of trustees in January of 1892 to establish a new location for the library. The books were soon moved to the southwest corner of the basement of the courthouse, which they paid $162 in advance to use. The room, which was unfinished, was not ideal for the library, so four years later, the library board requested to rent an adjacent room in the basement. The library board made sure the new room was plastered before the books and other library materials were moved over.

The library board and several interested community members learned that Andrew Carnegie was offering grants to build public libraries. Carnegie was contacted by Senator J. P. Dolliver about securing a grant for Hampton and an offer was made. If certain conditions could be met, Hampton was set to receive $10,000 for a new library. Before long, a site was procured for $3,660 and construction began, taking nearly two years to complete. There were several problems challenges in the construction process caused by poor planning and and cost overruns, according to the "The Carnegie Libraries of Iowa."

One other issue: the grant didn't cover essential costs, such as heating, electric light fixtures, shelving and other furnishings, so these funds had to be raised separately. The new building cost almost $17,000, which was way over budget.

The library was formally opened and dedicated on Oct. 6, 1905. The opening ceremony was held at 8 p.m. at the opera house, featuring the following: invocation by Rev. P.C. Nelson, music by the high school chorus, history of the library by Library Board President L. B. Raymond, duet by Mrs. Haecker and Mrs. Funk, presentation of the library building to the citizens by B. H. Mallory on behalf of the library board, acceptance of same on behalf of the citizens by Judge W. D. Evans, congratulatory address by Miss Alice S. Tyler, music by ladies' quartette, dedicatory address by Senator J. P. Dolliver and more music by the Chorus of the Treble Clef Club.

This was all followed by a reception at the new library.

Today, 120 years later, the Hampton Public Library remains one of 48 public Carnegie library buildings still in use as libraries in Iowa.

When looking towards the future, Hampton Public Library Director Suzy Knipfel told the Chronicle that she has no doubt the library will be here to serve the community in another 120 years. Knipfel added how much she's enjoyed her work at the library over the last 40 years.

"Working at a library is so much more than books," said Knipfel. "I have had the privilege to meet so many people from our community through the years. It's gratifying to know so many people enjoy coming to our library; not only to check out books but to read a newspaper, play cribbage, attend our programs, bring their children here and join our book club which began in 2010 and is still going strong! I also have a wonderful staff to work with that feel as passionate about serving the community as I do."

Young boy draws inspiration from Hampton Public Library

Thousands of people have benefited from the Hampton Public Library over the years, including one special man named Tomas Rivera, who stopped by the library one afternoon during his childhood in the 1940s. Rivera's mother and father were farm workers. During the winter, they picked fruit and vegetables for Texas farmers and during the summer, they picked produce for Iowa farmers. One summer, while living in Hampton, a young Rivera met a kind librarian at the Hampton Public Library who encouraged him to continue reading and to use his imagination, which would lead him to a successful career as a writer, professor, university administrator, and national education leader. He is best known for his novel, y no se lo tragó la tierra, for which he received the first Premio Quinto Sol literary award in 1971.

Rivera's inspiring story of meeting a librarian in Hampton was eventually turned into the 1997 chidren's book, titled "Tomas and the Library Lady," written by Pat Mora and illustrated by Raul Colon.

In it, Mora wrote of Rivera's experience while reading books: "Tomas saw dinosaurs bending their long necks to lap shiny water. He heard the cries of a wild snakebird. He felt the warm neck of the dinosaur as he held on tight for a ride. Tomas forgot about the library lady. He forgot about Iowa and Texas."

When Dr. Rivera died in 1984, he was serving as the chancellor of the University of California at Riverside. While there, he was presented with an award from the Chicano News Media Association for outstanding achievements and contributions to the Chicano community, and also received an award from the Riverside Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for his leadership as Chancellor at the Riverside Campus.

Rivera not only left an impact on the literary world but he left one on his three children, whom he shared with his wife, Concepción Garza.

One of his daughters, Ileana, told the Chronicle that while growing up, her father liked to share stories of his time in the midwest. They weren't all nice, she said, but he grew through the experiences.

"He had a hard life," she said. "But he would see the beauty in the life and the land through all of that."