Alfred E. Dickey Free Library
library in Jamestown, North Dakota, United States
The Alfred E. Dickey Free Library in Jamestown, North Dakota was built in 1917. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
According to its NRHP nomination, it is "a rare and fine example" of Prairie School architecture in North Dakota.
It seems to have been designed by Joseph A. Shannon and Henry J. Scherer.
According to its NRHP nomination, however, it was designed by architectural partners "J. H. Shannon" and Henry J. Scherer.
And according to a different NRHP nomination, from 1989, for the Devils Lake Commercial District, the Dickey Free Library was designed by
"John A. Shannon", late in his career. These appear to be misstatements of the name of local architect Joseph A. Shannon.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Alfred E. Dickey Free Library” is library in Jamestown, North Dakota, United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Alfred, Dickey and Free, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “library in Jamestown, North Dakota, United States” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 31, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4722578. Authority coordinates are 46.906, -98.708. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1917, 1980 and 1989.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Alfred E. Dickey Free Library”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Alfred E. Dickey Free Library primary sources, Alfred E. Dickey Free Library archive and Alfred research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Alfred E. Dickey Free Library”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Alfred E. Dickey Free Library” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.