Coal Creek Library – Oldest in Kansas & Close to Home!
(photos below article)
The pioneers of Kansas Territory believed that education and reading were very important. Most people in the Baldwin area know that Baker University, the oldest university in Kansas, was established here in 1858 during the Territorial period. But how many realize that Coal Creek Library, the oldest subscription library in Kansas, was also established here during this same time in 1859?
Coal Creek Valley begins a few miles north of Baldwin City and continues until a few miles south of Lawrence. The valley includes the Vinland, Stoney Point areas, and more. It was named for the coal-lined creek which runs through the area to the Wakarusa River. George Cutter was an early settler in this area. His 160-acre homestead was located on the southeast corner of N. 700 Road and E. 1700 Rd./Do. Co. 1055 – where McFarlane Aviation is located today.
On November 22, 1859, Thanksgiving Day, two teenage girls, Martha Cutter (George’s daughter), and her friend, Anna Soule, held a meeting at the Cutter home. Twenty-two (22) young people attended, and the group organized the Coal Creek Library Association. Membership dues were 50 cents (which would be $18.69 today!). The group ordered books at the cost of $10 (about $375 today). These 10 books arrived in 1860 and 5 of the original books remain in the library now.
For the first 17 years, the books were kept at the Cutter home. The next 2 years, they were kept at the home of the librarian Mrs. Hugh Williams. In March 1879, the books were moved to the Grange Hall in the business area of Vinland – a few doors down from the current library location. By 1899, the book collection had grown significantly, and discussions began about creating a separate library building. Will Barnes, a nurseryman in Vinland, offered to donate a lot for the building if the name was changed to Vinland Library. After much debate, the library board voted 25 to 24 to buy the lot and keep the name as Coal Creek Library. In a show of true Vinland community spirit – which continues to this day – everyone joined together to build the library. The cost was $400 (about $15,000 today). On May 23, 1900, the new library opened.
Coal Creek Library was beautiful! The tall oak bookshelves housed over 1,000 library books. Green shades in the windows prevented the books from fading. A wood-burning stove was used for heat. The floors were wood. The exterior of the building was covered with tin siding which was painted red. The building had no electricity until the 1940s when the post office shared the space. Many of these features remain in the library today.
Coal Creek Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. Recently, the building underwent some needed preservation work. Donations from over 100 individuals and a grant from Kansas Heritage Trust Fund provided the money for the project. The building was temporarily moved, and its stone foundation was rebuilt. The damaged pressed-metal siding was replaced and painted. The historic windows and door were repaired and repainted, and the front porch was rebuilt. All the books were removed from the library before the restoration work started. During this time, Librarian Christie Huntington took the opportunity to review the book collection, cross reference them, and log information about each book. Her project provided further valuable information about this historical library.
On Sunday, April 7, 2024, Coal Creek Library is hosting a Grand Re-Opening from 1-4 p.m. Everyone is invited! The address is 698 E. 1719 Road – but you can’t miss it as the bright red building in Vinland – just east of McFarland Aviation. Enter from N. 700 Rd.
Coal Creek Library will be open Sundays from 1-4 p.m. from April 7 through October. (It may close without notice if the temperature is above 90 degrees). These hours of operation re-establish a long-standing library tradition. Please come see this wonderful, historic building, view some old books, and learn about Vinland history! Hope to see you there!
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Many thanks to Cathy Dwigins and Mel Verhaeghe for helping with this article.
M. Jardon, 3/2024, Updated Jan. 2025
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- First printed in The Maple Weekly, (Baldwin’s weekly newspaper).
- Reprinted with permission.
- Learn more about the Baldwin City community – events, people, businesses, jobs, opportunities – a great place to live and grow!
- Subscribe to The Maple Weekly at https://baldwinmaple.com/the-maple-weekly/
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