Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1906-12-10
Major l.. A. Abbott Advances an Elaborate
Scheme for Public Library.
Regards Carnegie Proposal as Too Small in
Amount and Too Expensive. Suggests Some
Valuable Thoughts for Library and
Public improvements for Grow
ing City Like Aberdeen.

granite industry, it is now city OF about
$4,000 and it and the .own, a community
OF about 10000. The city has a large,
prosperous five story brick seminary, a
dignified building on a commanding
hill overlooking the city, the institution
being largely endowed. an ornate brick
high school building costing about $75,
600, four brick graded schoolhouses as
large as the Market street school build.
ing here, half dozen other large brick
and frame schoolhonses, seven or more
large brick, granite and frame churches,
but there is no public library building.
A room in various buildings as circum-
stances require, has been rented for such
a purpose for about thirty years mo. or
less. They have large number OF
books, however, many having been do.
mated by will, etc.
About ten yeare since native, Leon
ard Aldrich, willed most OF his estate,
about $4,000 for library building.
more books, and endowed it with q
brick bank and Office building. The city
gave corner lot 200 feet square. GEN.
trally located. now worth about SIS, 900,
and the town donated about year ago,
$1,000 to the building fund. But librar-
les East are built for use as we'll a. orna.
ment. and this QUE is largely frequented
by abont 5000 school children including
both city and town, stone cutters,
etc.. SO that there has not been money
enough to erect granite buildin4, with
reading room sufficient for visitors with
the money at hand at any time; and il
was wisely decided to let the gift accum
ulate by interest, etc.. until there waf
enough to erect such building as wa.
needed without some one, meantime
gave enough to build as desired.
The town made it's donation on condi.
ton that the building should be OF gran.
ite, the granite manufacturers of whom
there were about hundred, some O
whose factories are the largest of thu
kind in the world, one employing near
ly l 900 monumental workers, agreeing
to contribute literally to the librar,
building In granite. These manufacture
ers, unlike many of their class largel
boost for public improvements and as {
result, not only the public buildings be.
fore mentioned have most Of them ma
terialized, but the city's main street il
the best paved granite block thorough.
fare in the East, if not in the world. al
the immence granite blocks hanled ove
it are fabulous in weight, and the stree
had to be built to support them. Mos
of the other streets are granite macad an
the material being hauled over three
miles, the streets in places having to b'
filled in as much as here.
All this, three sets OF water works
one extending about ten niles, the cit,
growing beyond all expectations, ant
such other public Improvements as {
rapidly growing city requires, have beer
brought about by liberal and judiciou
bonding in much less time than it ha
taken Aberdeen to grow to about tn,
SO me size; but it required commendabl,
public spirit, willingness, sagacity, ener
gy and honesty to do it. 1t does no goo(
there for prosperous men to try and con
troll pnblic Improvements because it viii
heavily tax them. The ladies', mean
time, beautified two city parks will
fountains, flowers, shrubbery. etc., ant
looked largely after the cemeteries great
ly to their credit and continne to do so
The parks had to be filled in with abou
two feet OF soil, curbed with granite ant
were expensive. The women. however
meant business. The Ladies Federation
Club for Village Improvements requisite,
me through its president to make plan
for them as to what would be required
which l gladly did, laughingly sayin
that it meant couple of days hard worl
for me which would amount to nothing
as my plans would not be carried out
but the ladies were of the right kind, OF
their mettle and the plans were grandly
consummated even to the smallest detail
including abundant regulation parl
seats, and they now have two OF tn
handsomest parks of any small city il
New England and the cemetery is unex
celled for order and beauty.
The new comers there are not the kin,
} who settle down like leeches to bleed