Ephraim Carnegie Library

Ephraim wanted to read long before Andrew Carnegie paid for the building. As early as 1880 a group of young men kept a small library in a rented room in John Dorius's house; the city later ran one out of the old City Hall. Then Carnegie's money arrived on his standard terms — he would fund the building if the town supplied the land, the books, a librarian, and the upkeep — and in 1914–15 this became one of twenty-three Carnegie libraries in Utah. Provo architects designed it; it still serves Ephraim as a library.

What the plaque says

Built in 1914-1915, the Ephraim Carnegie Library is one of 23 Carnegie Libraries in Utah and one of over 1650 library buildings in the United States that were founded by millionaire/philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie donated the entire cost of the building on the condition that the town provide the land, books, librarian and an annual maintenance budget. A library program in Ephraim began as early as about 1880 when a group of ambitious young men established a small library in a rented room in the house of John F. F. Dorius. Later, the city council took over operation of the library and provided a room in the old City Hall until the construction of the Carnegie Library in 1914. The building was designed by the architectural firm of Watkins, Birch and Wright of Provo. Contractors for the building were Hans Petersen, A.C. Nielson and Thor Monsen, partners in a local construction firm.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Ephraim — steps away
  Utah's Little Denmark and the home of Snow College
• Ephraim Co-op — steps away
  The 1871 cooperative store that outlived the economy it was built to replace
• Manti Temple — 6.8 mi
  A striking pioneer-era temple crowning a hilltop above the Sanpete Valley
• Manti — 7.1 mi
  Sanpete's first settlement, crowned by an 1888 oolite temple

More markers nearby

• Indian Massacre — steps away
• Fort Ephraim Peace Treaty — steps away
• Ephraim Co-op Building — steps away
• Snow Academy Building — 0.3 mi