Once upon a time....

 

In 1819, Edwardsville was on the western frontier of the United States. Less than a year after Illinois became a state, the progressive frontier town was already home to a free public library. This first library, which preceded our current Carnegie library building by almost 100 years, was chartered in 1823. It consisted of 121 items and a single librarian, Mr. John H. Randle. The original book catalog of this library has been preserved, and is still viewable today.