History of MRL

History of MRL...

A Man and His Values

There is something in the thinking, the emphasis, the motivation of some people that influences generations - people of words, people of deeds, writers of the books, builders of the bridges, hewers of the stone, seekers of the mysteries of spirit and universe. Able to identify with the future, they think and plan beyond the confines of their lives to leave something forever valuable to those who come after them.

Such a man was the self-educated pioneer who gave Richmond and Wayne Township the first township library in Indiana and one of the earliest public libraries in the nation.

Morrisson Library opened July 30, 1864, half a century before Andrew Carnegie provided libraries for many towns and a full decade before the flowering of the free library movement in the United States.

Robert Morrisson was the far-sighted benefactor, successful business man, leading citizen of a community that considered a taste for good reading a virtue second only to religious faith and moral integrity. The climax of Robert Morrisson’s philanthropy was the library which he considered “a . . . gift of most enduring, permanent value he could give to his fellow citizens to encourage them to help themselves.”

Everything about the gift was well thought out in keeping with the executive ability of the donor. He purchased a lot at the corner of what was then called Broadway and Marion Streets (now North A and Sixth) and engaged A. W. Cornell, an architect, to plan and build the building.

For the lot, building, and improvements Morrisson paid $12,407. He gave an added $5,000 with which to purchase books and to add to those already in the existing township library (to which he had previously given $500).

The library opened July 30, 1864 with about 6,000 books. Robert Morrisson lived a little over a year after his library was complete.

The Reeves Generosity

Throughout its distinguished 130-year history, it has not been primarily tax funds that have been responsible for the funding or improvement of the library, but the generosity of Morrisson and the second major donor, Caroline Middleton Reeves.

The Reeves name. . . like Morrisson. . . has long been associated with Richmond. An early settler, contemporary of Robert Morrisson and likely his friend, was the carpenter, Mark Reeves. Reeves had two sons, Mark Ewan, and James, who became leaders in the banking industry.

Mark Ewan Reeves as a young man worked for Robert Morrisson in his general store and later located in Cincinnati. He and his family would spend summers on their farm, south and east of the early Richmond settlement. On this acreage he built a home and laid out what was to become the beautiful residential area of Reeveston.

Caroline Reeves, Mark’s wife, was an Easterner born in Crosswick N.J., in1827. In the summer of 1892 Caroline Middleton Reeves gave $30,000 to memorialize her husband Mark and her son, Arthur Middleton, and to promote the causes of culture and education in which she was keenly interested.

She considered. . .as Robert Morrisson had 28 years before - that money could in no way be better invested than in strengthening the public library. Her funds were to be used to remodel and enlarge the Morrisson Library, purchase books and establish a reading room.

The Reeves gift made possible considerable changes both inside and out and resulted in the library structure that was basically its appearance in the centennial year.

Two Proud Names

After Caroline Reeves’ gift to the library, the name was changed, by agreement with the Morrisson heirs, to Morrisson-Reeves Library.

So wisely was the $30,000 spent that, after the improvements, $5,000 of the Reeves Fund remained. To represent the Reeves interests in the library, and to serve as trustees of this fund, a committee was appointed composed of Caroline Reeves, William Dudley Foulke and Lewis D. Stubbs. The Reeves Committee has accomplished many things in its past and continues today with the charge of wisely spending money to benefit the library.

Three Remarkable Women

While Jesse H. Brown, a school examiner, was the first Morrisson-Reeves Librarian, he only held the post for a few weeks. The history of the institution, which spans more than 130 years, is administratively the lengthened shadow of three remarkable women who served the library with immense loyalty. The development and changing concepts of the public library can be traced through their administrations.

Sarah H. Wrigley
In September, 1864, Sarah H. Wrigley was appointed librarian and served until February, 1903. She was the daughter of John Finley, Richmond’s second mayor, one-time editor and owner of The Palladium and author of The Hoosier’s Nest.

There were few libraries in the area, with the exception of the Cincinnati Public, that Mrs. Wrigley could use as examples in her library pioneering. She did send for catalogs of Eastern libraries which she studied zealously. Hers was the responsibility for working out policies and routines, selecting and training staff in a time before Schools of Library Science.

Contemporary newspaper articles show that she laid down rules for deportment in the library such as discouraging lengthy conversation with patrons and prohibiting callers.

Sarah Wrigley guided the young library through a period of enormous growth and fought a patient battle for a separate children’s department, which she achieved in 1900. Juvenile books had been in the library since its founding but no special area had been set aside for young readers. This was a concern of Mrs. Reeves and her daughter, Mrs. William Dudley Foulke, who also worked toward the establishment of a room for boys and girls. Money for the project was provided by different individuals and groups as was artwork for decorating.

Ada Bernhardt
Mrs. Ada Bernhardt succeeded Sarah Wrigley as librarian in 1903 and served for 42 years. A Quaker, Ada Berhardt was an early graduate of Earlham College.

Her mother and sister were artists; she herself had a great appreciation for art and literature. A favorite Sunday afternoon past time was gathering her family about her to read aloud Dickens’ Pickwick Papers. She built up excellent library collections in art, literature, philosophy, religion and added rich holdings of English and American periodicals.

During her administration, collections of Morrisson-Reeves books were placed in the public schools of the township. Later Morrisson-Reeves sent librarians into the schools on a part-time basis. This practice has been discontinued due to increased demands on public library funds and staff to serve the general public at the library.

In Ada Bernhardt’s era, a library was essentially a repository of culture, a haven for students, a stimulus to appreciation of fine arts, a quiet ivory tower for contemplation of the wise, the good, the beautiful. The reference department existed chiefly to assist in intellectual research.

Little effort was given to explore broad areas of community service or to merchandise library offerings.

Harriet E. Bard
However, a new concept of public library evolved. “Culture” was given a broader definition; the library became a storehouse of public information on every conceivable subject. Practical services were developed for every citizen; the library was recognized as a “peoples’ university.”

With the coming of Harriet E. Bard as librarian in 1945, this modern era of Morrisson-Reeves began its life-related focus typical of a contemporary library at its best.

A native of Massachusetts, Mrs. Bard had a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston University and a Library Science degree from the University of Michigan. A mid-western leader in professional library circles, she served as president of the Indiana State Library Association and as chairperson of it’s important recruitment committee. She was the executive director for the observance of National Library Week in Indiana and a pace-setter in many public library developments.

She brightened the Morrisson-Reeves interior, brought in more professionally trained staff, including a professionally trained children’s librarian. In an ever increasing automated, self-serve society she stressed person-to-person individualized library service.

A fine collection of recordings was placed in the library; microfilm readers and materials were installed. A popular drive-up book return, first in a public library in Indiana, was put into use.

Under the guidance of Mrs. Bard, the new and current building was designed with architect Jack Hodell. The new building represented a breakthrough in architectural design by including remnants of the old building in the new. Though not in use, the old spiral staircase still remains. The panels from the glass floors have been converted into tables seen throughout the library today. Much of the stone structures have been included decoratively throughout the library. Today the artwork from the original building still graces the current library’s walls. This unique blending of architecture represents a past to be proud of while moving steadfastly into the ever-changing future of libraries.

Mrs. Bard left Morrisson-Reeves Library in 1985 after 40 years of service. Her departure ushered in a new generation of increasing technology as information storage moved more toward computerized formats. Taking over the responsibility of guiding Morrisson-Reeves into a technology based future is Carol B. Smyth, current director. For more information regarding the current director, see her biography in About MRL.

Consider the efforts of three women across more than 130 years of library history. They have ensured that Robert Morrisson’s original gift serves its purpose. “A . . . gift of most enduring, permanent value he could give his fellow citizens to encourage them to help themselves.”

Excerpted from Heritage and Challenge, 1864-1964 by Fran Eward and Martha Elliott

Morrisson-Reeves Library
80 North 6th Street
Richmond, IN 47374-3079 U.S.A.
Phone (765) 966-8291
Fax (765) 962-1318