CLINTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
306 8th Avenue South
During 1901, letters between Clinton and Mr. Andrew Carnegie brought a $45,000 donation to help build a new public library, where there would be free access for all Clinton County residents.
The first board members were: George D. McDaid, Mrs. W. E. Young, Mrs. W. I. Hayes, Virtus Lund Sr., W. D. Walden, C. H. Young, Petrel Davis, Theodore Carstensen and George B. Phelps. Incidentally, Phelps was elected secretary and held that position for 35 years. When he died in 1937, he was the last original Board member still on the Board.
The land where the library is now was a gift from Mrs. Emma Lamb Young. Groundbreaking was in June of 1903 and the building was completed a year later. The first librarian, Belle Sweet, and her staff worked diligently getting things ready. There was an open house on election day, Nov. 8 and the library was officially opened Nov. 9, 1904. In the next 26 1/2 days 6,993 books were checked out.