The Newman Woman's Improvement Club was founded in
1908; its members started the first free library in Newman housed in the
Masonic Building (later named Dania Hall). In 1916, the library was moved
to larger quarters in the Knights of Pythias Hall.
In 1919 it was announced that a new Carnegie Library
was to be built in Newman at a cost of $7600, and in September of the
following year the new library opened its doors with the book collection
that had been housed in the Knights of Pythias Hall.
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| The Knights of Pythias, CA 1910 |
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The Knights of Phythias Building
Still Exists in Downtown Newman |
In 1941, with the United States about to enter into
World War II, the library opened its basement and welcomed the first
museum in Stanislaus County. In 1978, when a new library was built at "R"
and Kern Streets, the Newman Women's Club took over the museum and
expanded the museum to include the upstairs portion of the old Carnegie
Library.
Ongoing Efforts
The Newman Historical Society is currently gathering
local family histories for research purposes. The files are available to
those interested in researching family histories and the history of the
West Side.
A recent donation to the Historical Society and the
City of Newman was the original Yancey home. This small Victorian home
stood for many years adjacent to the Yancey Lumber yard, and in its later
years served as an office for the building. Because of an expansion
project at the business, the charming Victorian structure was bequeathed
to the City of Newman and is currently occupying the lot at the rear of
the Museum along with the Museum's collection of farm implements.
Restoration of the structure is currently underway, and it is hoped that
the structure will find a permanent home in the near future.
City of Newman Home [http://www.cityofnewman.com/]
Newman Historical Society Home [NHS Home] The
Newman Museum
