John Watson: Carnegie began life as a library, became theater

According to a newspaper clipping dated 1954, the idea of establishing a library had been in the mind of several citizens and organizations for 20 years before it was finally established by the Women’s Club of Cleburne.

The club was organized in 1901 with the establishment of the library as its primary aim.

Under the leadership of Mrs. J. D, Osborne, the club assembled 888 volumes, donated in collections to the memory of Hattilou Osborne, Mary Helen Allen, Phil J. Allen and W. F. Heard, and other collections given by the Knights of Pythias Lodge, the Magazine Club, the Shakespeare Club, the Women’s Club and the residents of Keene.

This library was maintained as a subscription library and was open three afternoons a week with Mrs. T. F. Fortson as librarian. The circulation for the first year was 945.

The next year, under the direction of the Women’s Club, Mrs. D. E. Waggoner, one of the members of the club, visited New York and while there succeeded in interesting Andrew Carnegie in Cleburne’s need for a library.

In 1903, negotiations were completed with Carnegie, and a gift of $2,000 was received from him for a library building.

At a meeting of the citizens of Cleburne, a library association was formed.

Officers were C. Dickson, president; Waggoner and Mrs. William Poindexter, vice presidents; Mrs. V. M. Fulton, secretary; and J. D. Osborne, treasurer.

The first library board was composed of H. S. Wilson, D. E. Waggoner, J. D. Blakeney and W. M. Odell; and Mmes. J. A. Anderson, H. P. Brown, S. B. Allen, V. M. Fulton and J. D. Osborne.

The first librarian was Rebecca Royal, who held the position for 17 years before going to Austin to work in the state library.

Through the efforts of the Women’s Club and the library board, the city met Carnegie’s requirements for a maintenance tax to be levied, and a site was purchased with donations from citizens.

The present building, from 1954, which has served as a model for several small town libraries, was the first attempt at architectural expression in Cleburne.

The cornerstone was laid by the Masonic Grand Lodge of Texas on Jan. 6, 1904, and the building was completed and opened to the public on May 25, 1905.

The first annual report of the library showed a collection of 2,703 volumes, with a circulation of 6,902 and a registration of 1,308.

Mrs. Ted Clancy was the librarian in the 1950’s when I was using the library.

Julie Baker of the Layland Museum said that one of Carnegie’s requests when donating for a library was that it also include a theater, which this one had on the second floor.

During the early days this theater was used mainly by local music teachers as a place to have recitals.

A noted critic once observed that if a Little Theater existed in a community then it was a thriving place, creatively, in all the finer things of culture. If a Little Theater did not exist, then that place was artistically moribund.

On Nov. 25, 1924, the Cleburne Little Theater was organized through the efforts of the Shakespeare Club.

The first officers were Robert A. Kilpatrick, president; Mrs. J. H. Douglas, Mrs. A. P. Wooldridge, Heber Henry and Otto Foster, vice-Presidents; Mrs. Kat Williams, corresponding secretary; Victor Gerstenkorn, Treasurer; H. W. Hughes, recording secretary; and directors Dr. W. C. Gerstenkorn, the Rev. Homer Strong, Mrs. E. B. Fry and Mrs. W. E. Watts.

From the first play, “The Romantic Age,” the theater made expenses, never receiving any outside financial support.

The 10 plays produced at the Carnegie Library in 1928 drew an audience for the year of 5,000 or more.

The local group presented one play each month, except July and August, at the Carnegie Library Theater.

After the depression hit in the 1930s attendance dropped, and the Cleburne Little Theater group disbanded in the late 1930s.

For several years after this the city of Cleburne used the upstairs theater area for storage.

After the library moved to its present location on West Henderson in 1978, the city moved its storehouse from the second floor of the Carnegie Building.

This opened the door for renovation of the theater and the founding of a theater troupe for the city, The Greater Cleburne Carnegie Players.

The renovation project involved many local citizens along with the city and took two years to complete.

The Greater Cleburne Carnegie Players is a nonprofit thespian group that has been bringing live theater to Cleburne and the surrounding area since 1980.

The officers are Hillard Cochran, president; Rick Briscoe, vice president; Jeff Dugger, past president; Ginny Rodgers, recording secretary; Hazel Bell, treasurer; Jay Carnils, historian; Hillard Cochran, guild president; and Jay Lewis, publicist.

A news clipping dated March 30, 1980, and headlined “Opera House Donates Lights For Carnegie Theater Stage” states, “Jo Ann Miller of the Granbury Opera House has donated a set of border lights to the Johnson County Historical Commission to be used on the stage at the Carnegie Building, presently being restored. These lights originally came from the old Palace Theater in Fort Worth.

“The seats for the building were purchased from the Methodist Church in Godley and are believed to have originally been in the old Yale Theater in Cleburne.”

After 73 years the library outgrew the space allotted in the old Carnegie Building and moved on to larger quarters.

Now, after 104 years the upstairs theater is still being used for the purpose Carnegie requested.

That will not last much longer because the city is including a theater in the new convention center complex on West Henderson, where The Greater Cleburne Carnegie Players will perform.

After this year the Carnegie Building will no longer serve either purpose for which it was built.

Now, I wonder what theater group will use the stage lights and seats next. Time marches on.



John Watson is a Cleburne resident who can be reached at texastraveler@sbcglobal.net.

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