Ritzville Public Library

About Us:

Welcome to the Ritzville City library, home of the A. Kendrick Photo Collection and other bits of history about the Big Bend region of Eastern Washington state. Located 54 miles west of Spokane off of Interstate 90, the library is at the center of one of the most productive dry land wheat producing areas in the Pacific Northwest.

It was in 1902 that Daniel Buchanan, local farmer and prominent politician, donated over 550 volumes of his personal library to the City of Ritzville to be "used as a nucleus of a public library... free, under the usual library restrictions, to all residents of Adams County, Washington." Interestingly enough, the first reading room and "library" was located over a local merchants store. Slowly but surely furniture was purchased by the Manhattan Club for $400.00 and the first librarian, Mr. G. Reicher was hired for $35.00 per month. Later, donations were sought for a permanent library structure; $10,500 came from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation giving Ritzville the means to construct a full fledged library.

By 1907, a mere five years after Buchanan's original donation, the cornerstone of the present library was being laid by the Grand Lodge of the Masons, drawing the locals and out-of-town dignitaries, including Gov. Mead. Today the building on the outside remains pretty much the same, while a restoration project is underway to restore the interior of the library to its stately appearance of the early part of the century.

So if you're ever passing through this part of the Northwest, don't hesitate to come off the Interstate to historic downtown Ritzville and visit Ritzville's own Carnegie library. If you can't make the trip, be sure to browse the historic photo collection and check out the links to other libraries and archives. Future collections and possibly some regional art work depicting Native Americans and life on the farm are just a few things we're working on, so don't forget to check in on us every now and then.