GIFT RECEIVED — The Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County has received a $10,000 gift from the Carnegie Corp. of New York. There are seven branches in the system, including the Main Library in downtown Steubenville. -- Contributed

STEUBENVILLE — The Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County has received $10,000 from the Carnegie Corp. of New York in honor of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

The Carnegie Corp. stated in its letter, “Andrew Carnegie wrote that libraries are ‘cradles of democracy’ and it has been truly inspiring to hear accounts of how the 1,350-plus surviving Carnegie libraries across America are serving their communities today.” The letter praises libraries as being among the few public institutions that play a genuinely unifying role.

The Main Library is a Carnegie Library that opened its doors to the public in 1902. Carnegie once worked in Steubenville as a telegraph operator and remembered the city by donating a total of $62,500 to construct the building.

“It was wonderful to receive the letter of notification,” said library Director Mike Gray. “Andrew Carnegie’s legacy of establishing public libraries worldwide is remarkable. His intention was to provide free access to everyone — a concept that we continue today.”

The library that sits at the corner of Fourth and Slack streets underwent an extensive renovation beginning in 2017. That project included construction of a two-story, 10,000-square-foot addition that was designed to make the library more accessible. That work included the relocation of the main entrance to make it level with Slack Street. A meeting room and elevator were a part of the work.

The library was the last of Ohio’s 816 libraries to be Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant, officials said at the time. Ground was broken on the $3.7 million project on Feb. 21, 2018, and the ribbon was cut to open the addition in April 2019.

Officials with the Carnegie Corp. said they are distributing $10,000 gifts as part of a $20 million special initiative created to celebrate America’s 250th birthday by supporting civic institutions and organizations that foster civic participation and bring people together.

According to the foundation, Carnegie funded the construction of 1,681 free public libraries in the United States between 1886 and 1917. After reaching out to each library, foundation officials said about 1,280 were still in operation and acknowledged their link to Carnegie, which made them eligible for the gift.

About 750 still use their original building, officials explained.