Andrew Carnegie
At the turn of the 20th century, Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish-born industrialist who rose from poverty to become one of America’s wealthiest men, turned his fortune toward a vision to make knowledge and education accessible to everyone.
Carnegie wrote that the rich should act as stewards of their fortune to improve society. For him, the most powerful way to do this was through free public libraries. These would be places where anyone could educate themselves and better their lives.
Between 1883 and 1928, Carnegie funded the construction of over 2,500 libraries across the world. While visiting CO, in October 2025, I saw the sign for Carnegie Library in Boulder.
This library was built in 1905 with a $15,000 grant from Carnegie. He never lived in Boulder, nor had any particular tie to this city. Boulder was a young city at this time and pledged to support and maintain the library as part of the agreement with Carnegie.
Today, this building serves as Boulder’s Local History Library, a keeper of photographs and memories of the town’s early years. It is also a reminder that generosity leaves footprints.
Read More From Nancy
The Flag That Sparked Curiosity: Discovering History Hidden in Plain Sight
It was curiosity that led me there. Every day, on my drive to Wellesley Chiropractic Office, I noticed a small British flag beside a marker in the middle of an island. What was a British flag doing in the suburbs of MA? My first assumption was a simple one: perhaps it marked a site from colonial […]
Edgar Allen Poe Statue
This is a statue of Edgar Allan Poe on the sidewalk along Boylston Street in Boston. He is caught in mid-stride, coat swirling with a raven perched atop a stack of books at his feet. The placement of this statue is intentional and rooted in Poe’s relationship with the city where his life began. Poe […]
Bell System Icon
Walking through Wellesley, with my eyes turned to the ground, I took a moment to notice the iron cover in the sidewalk labeled: “Bell System”, this little iron circle tells a story of a different kind of infrastructure, one that once revolutionized the world. The Bell System was more than just a telephone company it was a […]
