Ohio inventions and firsts · First · 1901
Brumback Library, called the first county library in the US
Opened January 1, 1901, at 215 W. Main St., Van Wert, with money left by businessman John Sanford Brumback. An 1898 Ohio law let the county support the library, and it is widely described as the first tax-supported county library in the United States.
At a glance
- Year
- 1901
- Company
- Van Wert Library Association
- Place
- Van Wert, Van Wert County ZIP 45891 · Van Wert · Van Wert County
Why it matters
The idea of a library paid for and used by a whole county, farmers included, was thought almost impossible.
Who gets the credit is disputed
The Ohio claim. Wikipedia and Compass Ohio describe the Brumback Library as the first county library in the United States, made possible by Ohio's enabling law.
The other claims. The title is the library's and its supporters'. No rival county is named in the pages consulted, which is not proof that none exists.
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.