Old Village Magazine

14 www.OldVillageMountPleasant.com | www.ColemanBoulevard.com feature r membering S imilar to others nation- wide, the first library in Mount Pleasant was started by a group of women as a lending room. The King’s Daughters operated it out of their hall on Whilden Street in what is now known as the Old Village. The first official Mount Pleasant Library opened on June 19, 1931, as a branch of the Charleston Free Library. It was housed in a small one-room building next to the old post office on Church Street. The library eventually moved to a little house on the corner of Hibben and Church streets. According to “The History of Mount Pleasant” by Petrona Royall McIver, this temporary space was originally Huthmackers Drugstore and was located in the yard of Mrs. Julia Hamlin. In the 1940s, members of the Mount Pleasant Exchange Club raised funds for a new building, and their donations were combined with allotments from Charleston County and the town of Mount Pleasant, which provided space at 430 Whilden St. Other organizations contributed money for books, and the Mount Pleasant Garden Club took on landscaping and maintaining the grounds; the town of Mount Pleasant now handles this job. From its exterior, the structure appears to have been a home in an earlier life, but Harold Tatum of Mount Pleasant designed it as a library. The little brick building tucked under the oak trees is a fitting design for this older residential neighborhood. The library opened on Aug. 2, 1948. Residents of the Village appreciate having a neighborhood library branch, and it is especially nice for introducing children to the library system. Programs include story times, crafts and shows. When the regional branch on Anna Knapp Boulevard opened in 1992, the Village location was expected to close, but its loyal users lobbied to save it. “They like it quiet and with little competition for the books they want to read,” said current branch manager Marvin Stewart. For more information, visit www.ccpl.org . by Margaret Ann Michels Our Village Library The Old Village in Mount Pleasant Branch manager Marvin Stewart enjoys hearing about the library’s past from his older patrons and sharing its wonders with new users. Shem Creek Coleman Blvd. Cooper River