Mary Willis Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Mary Willis Library
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The Mary Willis Library
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 Location in Georgia (U.S. state)
Location in the United States
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| Location | 204 East Liberty Street Washington, Georgia  United States |
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| Built | 1888 (Institution founded) 1889 (Library built) |
| Architect | Edmund Lind (1889) Later additions by: Kuhlkhe & Wade (1977) Edmund Maddox (1991) |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000407 |
| Added to NRHP | April 11, 1972 |
The Mary Willis Library is a special and historic public library in Washington, Georgia. You can find it at 204 East Liberty Street. This library serves as the main public library for Wilkes County. It is also the main office for the Bartram Trail Regional Library System.
The library was built in 1889 using red brick. It features beautiful Tiffany glass windows. Because of its history and unique design, the Mary Willis Library was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 1972.
A Library for Everyone
The Mary Willis Library was very special when it opened in 1889. It was the first free public library in the state of Georgia! Before this, most libraries charged people a fee to borrow books. This made the Mary Willis Library a big step forward for everyone.
The library was started by Dr. Francis T. Willis. He wanted to honor his daughter, Mary, who had passed away. Dr. Willis grew up in Washington, Georgia, but later moved to Virginia. He gave the library as a gift to his hometown.
Dr. Willis donated his own collection of books. He also gave $15,000 to build the library. Another $2,000 was given for furniture and more books. He also set up a fund of $10,000 to help the library run for many years.
Building Design and Growth
A famous architect named Edmund George Lind from Atlanta designed the library. He used the Queen Anne style. This style often includes detailed brickwork and steeply gabled roofs. The library also has a tower with a dome on top.
Inside, the library is lit by lovely stained glass windows. The most important window is a central memorial window. It was made by Tiffany Studios, which is famous for its beautiful glass art. The original library building was about 2,655 square feet.
Over the years, the library became very popular and needed more space. In 1977, an addition was built by architects Kuhlkhe and Wade. This first addition added about 4,459 square feet.
Later, in 1991, an even larger addition was completed. Architect Edmund Maddox designed this part, adding 5,267 square feet. Today, the library is much bigger than it started. It is now about 12,381 square feet, which is over four times its original size!
The Mary Willis Library has many special books. It has rare books about local and state history. You can also find books by authors from the Washington-Wilkes County area. The library keeps old newspapers and items from Washington's past. It also has records for people researching their family history.
Serving the Region
For many years, the library's own fund paid for its operations. But in 1967, the Mary Willis Library joined with the library in Taliaferro County. They formed a larger group called a regional library system.
Today, the Mary Willis Library is the main office for the Bartram Trail Regional Library System. This system helps libraries in Wilkes County, Taliaferro County, and McDuffie County. The Bartram Trail system also includes two other branch libraries. These are the Taliaferro County Library in Crawfordville and the Thomson-McDuffie County Library in Thomson.
Images for kids
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Entrance to the library annex.
