California's Porter Memorial Public Library Celebrates 100 Years of Service

Porter Memorial Library gears up for the big 100; yearlong celebration culminates in October. (San Jose Mercury News, 6/20/2012)

Excerpt: The community spent the next several years raising funds to build the library, and construction finally commenced in 1912. Folklore has it that even the children chipped in, collecting stones from Soquel Creek and carrying them to the building to use for the fireplace. 

"If it's true, we don't know, but that's what the story is," said Julie McDermott, a 15-year volunteer. 

But Madsen's family moved to the area in 1975, and she heard first-hand accounts from an elderly neighbor. <

"He was one of the elementary school children who carried the stones up from the creek to make the fireplace, and he still talked about it because it was such an event," she recalled. <

The library opened its doors on Jan. 28, 1913, and it ran continuously until 1978, when voters approved Proposition 13. That reduced funding for public libraries, and after a brief shutdown, residents formed an all-volunteer group, with members pitching in to keep it running ever since.