09/05/2026
Of the 32 Carnegie libraries built in Texas at the turn of the 20th century, only 13 original buildings are still standing.
In the late 1800s, steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, once the world’s richest man, began giving out grants, part of a philanthropic mission he wrote about in his essay “The Gospel of Wealth.” He funded church organs, exhibition halls, swimming pools, and gymnasiums, but the bulk of his philanthropy went into libraries.
In the United States, his grants built 1,681 public libraries, including 32 in Texas. Today, only 13 of the Carnegie library buildings in Texas remain, and only four—in Ballinger, Franklin, Jefferson, and Stamford—still function as libraries. The rest have been repurposed into museums, event facilities, history centers, and office buildings.
Tyler’s library, built in 1904, has been home to the Smith County Historical Society for more than 40 years. Gainesville’s library, opened in 1914, has housed the Butterfield Stage Players since 1979.
Web Editor Sarah Thurmond visited the Carnegie History Center in downtown Bryan, the oldest existing Carnegie library in the state. Read her story here: https://texashighways.com/culture/inside-the-oldest-remaining-carnegie-library-in-texas/
