Olivia Raney Library
Posted by: 
showbizkid
N 35° 46.824 W 078° 38.425
17S E 713270 N 3962160
A Raleigh city historic marker on the site of a the first public library in Wake County.
Waymark Code: WMBT9
Location: North Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 05/02/2006
Views: 30
The first public library in Wake County, the Olivia Raney Library was chartered in 1899 in downtown in memory of Olivia Raney, Richard Beverly Raney’s beloved wife and the organist at Christ Church, who passed away on May 4, 1896. Funding was hard to obtain for the chartering of a library, so Raney gave a free library for all white people of the city.
The building cost Raney $45,000 and was 45 by 91 feet and three stories high, excluding the basement. The second floor housed the library room while the third floor contained the music hall. Raleigh’s first library officially opened January 24, 1901.
The library existed at the marker location until 1962. In 1995, the Raney familt approved funds for a new Olivia Raney Library in Raleigh.
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Visit Instructions:Photos of your visit to the marker are required, but PLEASE, no old vacation photos taken just because it was there!
Comments about your visit, interesting nearby areas and any significant information you may have on this waymark are encouraged.
Most of all, enjoy the History that North Carolina has to offer! From the Mountains to the Ocean .. it's all here!