Kenton Public Library
historic building in Kenton, Ohio, United States
The Kenton Public Library is a historic building in downtown Kenton, Ohio, United States. One of 109 Carnegie libraries in Ohio, it was designed in 1905 by the architectural firm of Richards, McCarty and Bulford; Carnegie donated $20,000 to aid in its construction. An attempt to start a library in Kenton began in 1853, but over thirty years passed before one was actually begun. From 1886 to the opening of the Carnegie library, the library was housed in a business block on the city's central square. The library building is a one-and-one-half-story brick structure. An elevated foundation supports the rectangular structure, which is accessed from the street by a staircase.
With the opening of the library to all Hardin County residents in 1936 and the expansion of the city in general, the old facility had become too small for its patrons by the 1960s. After successful fundraising efforts and negotiations with the city school board, the old high school (previously superseded by the present high school building) was purchased and demolished, and the new library opened at the site. Today, the Carnegie library is occupied by a dentistry practice, Kenton Dental Care, and local residents are served by the Mary Lou Johnson Library.
In 1983, the Kenton Public Library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its place as an example of library building in Ohio, its connection to Andrew Carnegie, and its well-preserved architecture.
“Kenton Public Library” enters the record as historic building in Kenton, Ohio, United States. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Kenton, Public and Library can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Kenton Public Library” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Kenton, Public and Library provides the most credible route into that argument.
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 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6392095. Authority coordinates are 40.648, -83.610. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1905, 1853, 1886 and 1936.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. 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 “Kenton Public Library”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Kenton Public Library primary sources, Kenton Public Library archive and Kenton 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 “Kenton Public Library”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Kenton Public 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.