By Don R. Lewis and Christian Kallen
There was a time not so long ago when the wealthy class of Americans gave back for the greater good of us all rather than hoarding billions for the sake of themselves. When he was 33, future steel baron Andrew Carnegie wrote, “Man must have no idol and the amassing of wealth is one of the worst species of idolatry! No idol is more debasing than the worship of money!”
That philosophy led to a lasting legacy of philanthropy that most of today’s billionaires show no sign of emulating.
It’s possible Carnegie—who started his path to billions in the 19th century; his worth would have been $309 billion in today’s dollars—has some skeletons in the proverbial closet, but by the 20th century he had evolved into a philanthropist who gave out grants to more than 1,600 communities across the country to help build free public libraries.
Two of those library buildings still stand in Sonoma County, and are now the Petaluma Historical Library and Museum and the Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society. Each of them will soon receive a $10,000 gift from Carnegie Corporation of New York, established by Carnegie in 1909 to continue his public generosity. The Sonoma County Library system is also a beneficiary of the gifts, with another $10,000 going to them.
The $30,000 coming to Sonoma County is part of “Carnegie Libraries 250,” a special initiative celebrating the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and honoring the roughly 1,280 Carnegie libraries still serving their communities across the United States.
Sonoma County Library Director Erika Thibault will oversee the $10,000 grant to the county library system. She said, “The grant will be added to the library’s general fund, helping us continue to provide welcoming spaces and valuable resources for all of our community members.”
Holly Hoods, executive director and curator of the Healdsburg Museum, found out about the gift program in November and immediately contacted the Carnegie Corporation to assure that Healdsburg’s former Carnegie Library was also included in the program. “We are proud to be housed in a National Register-listed Carnegie Library, which is important to our community and national history,” Hoods wrote to the corporation. Her efforts were rewarded, and Healdsburg was added to the other two Sonoma County recipients.
Located at 221 Matheson St., just off the Plaza in Healdsburg, today the Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society exists to “collect, protect, preserve and interpret the artifacts, documents and photographs that trace the rich history of Healdsburg and surrounding area,” according to Hoods.
“The $10,000 amount has special significance,” she added. “Originally Healdsburg received $10,000 from Andrew Carnegie in 1909 to build a free public library. The building was completed in 1911 and faithfully served the Healdsburg community until 1987.”
Healdsburg’s Carnegie library—designed by Petaluma architect Brainerd Jones and built by Santa Rosa contractor Frank Sullivan—was slated for demolition when the library moved out, but the Healdsburg Historical Society joined forces with other locals and saved the building. It opened as the Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society in 1990, and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The former Petaluma Carnegie Library followed a similar course from a Carnegie-supported library, also designed by architect Jones, to its current status as the Petaluma Historical Library and Museum, at 20 Fourth St., Petaluma.
