Charlotte County Library
Beginning in 1937, Ambassador and Mrs. David K. E. Bruce anonymously gave money to 11 sites in Southside Virginia to build libraries. The Bruce libraries, as they were called, became the first public libraries to allow access to African Americans. Though African Americans were restricted to using side or back doors and didn’t have full access to the collections, the Bruce libraries still represent an advance in access to library materials for African Americans.
The Charlotte County Library was originally built in 1830 as the Hager-Marshall House. The Bruces bought the house and had it fitted as a library, making it the only Bruce library to use an existing building. The others are built on similar plans drawn up by an architect for the Bruces. They were neat Colonial-style buildings with a large reading room across the front and an office for the librarian and a reading room for African Americans behind. There were also restrooms and storage areas.
The Charlotte County Library is the first library in Virginia funded by the Bruce library fund. It had separate opening ceremonies one day apart for white and black patrons. Miss Mary Barksdale was the first librarian. Today, many of the Bruce libraries have become too small for the needs of the counties and have been converted to county offices or museums.
Marker is at the intersection of Legrande Avenue (Virginia Route 47) and David Bruce Avenue (Virginia Route 40) on Legrande Avenue.
Courtesy hmdb.org
