Carnegie Free Library, 300 East South Street, Union, Union County, SC

Significance: The Carnegie Free LIbrary was one of the first of 15 libraries established in towns throughout South Carolina by iron and steel industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Andrew Carnegie provided communities all over the world with funds to build public library buildings. Other South Carolina towns with Carnegie libraries include Darlington, Kingstree, Beaufort, and Sumter. The Carnegie Free Library in Union is constructed of yellow brick with contrasting red brick and terra cotta trim. The facade has an Ionic portico in antis with a semicircular pediment bearing the name "Carnegie Free Library." A low octagonal dome with a finial is centered on the roof. The interior of the building was renovated in 1968, but much original fabric remains. The Carnegie Free Library in Union was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on May 19, 1983, as part of the South Street Historic District.
Survey number: HABS SC-618
Building/structure dates: 1905 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1968 Subsequent Work