Read-up on our 1st Library

We asked if you had stories about our landmark library, and a “friend” sent this anecdote connecting the library, the Cossitt family, and two LaGranges – one in TN and the other in IL.
The Memphis library was the dream of Frederick H. Cossitt and the result of a $75,000 gift by his children to see that it was built. But the connection between the Cossitts and this area doesn’t end there.

Cossitt Library opened in 1888 as the Cossitt-Goodwyn Institute, the first public library in Memphis. On April 23, 1893, the original sandstone structure was constructed at 33 Front Street on the Downtown Memphis Promenade, and the Cossitt Library began service.
If you have a story about our fabulous landmark, let us know.
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