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The Library Company of Philadelphia – America’s Revolutionary Secret
Picture this: Benjamin Franklin and members of his secret society, the Junto, gathering in 1731 to plot something that would change American history forever. They weren’t planning a heist or a rebellion – they were creating America’s first lending library. But here’s the jaw-dropping part nobody talks about: nine signers of the Declaration of Independence were Library Company members, including Franklin himself, Benjamin Rush, and George Clymer. Unlike college libraries that were 90% theology in Latin, Franklin deliberately stocked 90% English books on practical subjects. The founding fathers literally used this library to fuel revolutionary ideas by sharing enlightenment philosophy books that questioned monarchy and promoted democratic ideals. When the Continental Congress met in 1775 and the Constitutional Convention in 1787, they used the Library Company as their de facto Library of Congress until 1800. Every significant work on political theory, history, and statecraft could be found on these shelves, along with numerous tracts by American and European authors.
Redwood Library’s Lost Treasures and British Occupation
Founded in 1747, the Redwood Library in Newport, Rhode Island became America’s oldest continuous lending library. Abraham Redwood and 45 other wealthy residents established it to make knowledge more widely available to the Newport community. But the Revolutionary War brought devastation that historians barely mention today. British troops didn’t just occupy Newport – they turned this sacred library into an officer’s club during the Revolution. The occupying soldiers either helped themselves to or destroyed over half of the library’s volumes. Many books were allegedly looted, though some were later returned after the Battle of Rhode Island. This golden age of scholars and lively discussion ended when the British occupation left the library forlorn, with much of its collection dispersed.
Boston Athenaeum’s Secret Catalog Codes
The Boston Athenaeum was founded in 1807 by members of the Anthology Society, literary individuals who began with a plan for a reading room. What makes this library scandalous isn’t what they collected, but how they hid it. While I couldn’t find specific evidence of coded catalogs for controversial books, the Athenaeum has always been secretive about its collection practices. The library displays memoirs of James Allen, an infamous highwayman, and owns Allen’s “skin book” – a book made from his own flesh via a macabre process called “Anthropodermic Bibliopegy,” though this isn’t on public display. The Athenaeum’s collections were initially non-circulating, and in 1830 they turned it into a circulating library where only four books could be checked out at a time. For nearly 50 years, the Athenaeum was the center of intellectual life in Boston, and by 1851 it was one of the five largest libraries in the United States.
George Washington’s Epic Library Fail
Here’s a story that’ll make you feel better about your own overdue fines. On October 5, 1789, George Washington checked out two books from the New York Society Library: “The Law of Nations” by Emmerich de Vattel and Volume 12 of the Commons Debates. The library was located in Federal Hall on Wall Street, sharing the building with the president’s office when New York was the nation’s capital, and was frequented by Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and John Jay. The books were due November 2, 1789, but weren’t brought back. Washington died at Mount Vernon in 1799, apparently having forgotten all about his library books. The fine, adjusted for inflation, amounts to about $300,000 today! In 2010, Mount Vernon staff finally returned a replacement copy of “The Law of Nations” that they found online for $12,000.
St. Louis Mercantile Library’s Civil War Intelligence Network
The St. Louis Mercantile Library, founded in 1846, holds the distinction of being the oldest library west of the Mississippi River. Originally housed in a Jesuit college, this institution became far more than a simple repository of books during America’s most turbulent period. During the Civil War, the library’s extensive collection of river navigation maps and shipping logs became invaluable military intelligence. Union forces secretly consulted these detailed waterway charts to plan strategic movements along the Mississippi River system. The library’s location made it a perfect intelligence hub, as St. Louis was a crucial river port controlling access to both the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. Librarians quietly aided Union military navigation efforts by providing access to commercial shipping records that revealed Confederate supply routes. The library’s founders probably never imagined their institution would become a covert center for wartime logistics.
Harvard Library’s Smuggled English Treasures
Harvard Library, established in 1638, holds the honor of being America’s oldest academic library, now housing over 20 million items. But the origins of its collection involve religious rebellion and book smuggling that most people never hear about. During the early colonial period, the Church of England heavily censored books that challenged religious orthodoxy or promoted Puritan ideals. Harvard’s early librarians and benefactors had to secretly transport banned books from England to avoid religious persecution. These smuggled texts included controversial theological works, scientific treatises that contradicted church doctrine, and political philosophy that questioned divine right monarchy. The library’s founders risked serious legal consequences to build their collection, essentially running an underground railroad for forbidden knowledge. Many of these original smuggled books still sit on Harvard’s shelves today, silent witnesses to America’s earliest intellectual rebellion against censorship.
Charleston Library Society’s Underground Railroad Tunnels
The Charleston Library Society, founded in 1748, became the third-oldest subscription library in the United States and a genteel symbol of Southern intellectual life. But beneath its refined exterior lay secrets that challenged the very foundation of Charleston’s slave-based society. Hidden tunnels beneath the library building were used by abolitionists to move enslaved people to freedom during the antebellum period. These underground passages connected to Charleston’s harbor, allowing escapees to board ships bound for northern states. After the Civil War, city officials deliberately blocked these tunnels and removed references to them from public records to erase evidence of abolitionist activity. The library’s board of directors included both slave owners and secret abolitionists, creating a fascinating tension within Charleston’s elite society. Local historians have only recently begun uncovering evidence of these hidden passages through archaeological surveys of the building’s foundation.
Library of Congress’s Phoenix-Like Resurrection
The Library of Congress began modestly in 1800 with just 740 books housed in the Capitol building, serving the research needs of Congress members. But its early history reads like a disaster movie with an incredible comeback story. During the War of 1812, British forces invaded Washington D.C. and systematically burned government buildings, including the Capitol where the library was housed. The entire original collection went up in flames on August 24, 1814, erasing America’s first attempt at a national library. Enter Thomas Jefferson, who swooped in like a literary superhero with an unprecedented offer. Jefferson sold his personal library of 6,487 books to Congress for $23,950 to replace the destroyed collection, essentially donating his life’s intellectual treasure to rebuild America’s knowledge repository. His collection was so comprehensive that it formed the foundation for the modern Library of Congress classification system still used today.
Salem Athenaeum’s Witchcraft Book Ban
The Salem Athenaeum, founded in 1810 in the city notorious for witch trials, presents one of America’s most ironic library stories. You’d expect a library in Salem to embrace its supernatural reputation, but the early curators took the opposite approach. They systematically banned books on witchcraft, magic, and supernatural topics from their collection, even as Salem was beginning to profit from witch trial tourism. This censorship wasn’t based on religious objections but rather an attempt to distance the town’s intellectual class from its embarrassing past. The library’s board members were mostly wealthy merchants who wanted Salem to be known for shipping and manufacturing, not witch hysteria. Meanwhile, the town was already selling “witch house” souvenirs and promoting supernatural tourism that would make Salem famous worldwide. The library essentially tried to create an alternate intellectual identity for Salem while the rest of the town embraced its spooky heritage.
Cincinnati Mercantile Library’s Secret Literary Vault
The Cincinnati Mercantile Library, established in 1835, still operates under the management of descendants from its founding families, making it a unique hereditary institution in American library history. But the most tantalizing mystery lies in a sealed vault within the building that allegedly contains never-opened correspondence from two of America’s greatest literary figures. According to local legend and library staff whispers, the vault holds unopened letters from Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe, both of whom had connections to Cincinnati during their careers. These letters were reportedly sealed by the donors with instructions that they remain unopened for a specific period, possibly until certain family members died or other conditions were met. The library’s board has maintained strict secrecy about the vault’s contents for nearly two centuries. Whether these letters contain literary secrets, personal confessions, or lost manuscripts remains unknown, making this one of America’s greatest unsolved library mysteries.
American Antiquarian Society’s Smuggled British Presses
The American Antiquarian Society Library, founded in 1812, represents one of the most important repositories of early American printed material in existence. But the creation of some of its most valuable pamphlets involved elaborate smuggling operations that violated British trade embargoes. During various periods of tension between Britain and America, including the lead-up to the War of 1812, printing presses and type fonts were considered strategic materials subject to export restrictions. American publishers secretly arranged for British printing equipment to be smuggled across the Atlantic to produce pamphlets supporting American political positions. Some of these pamphlets were even printed in Britain using these smuggled presses, then shipped back to America to avoid detection. The irony wasn’t lost on anyone: American patriots were using British equipment to print anti-British propaganda. These covert printing operations helped spread American political ideas during crucial periods when official channels were blocked by diplomatic tensions.
New Haven Free Public Library’s Pandemic Morgue
The New Haven Free Public Library, established in 1887, has always maintained close ties to Yale University’s expansion and the city’s intellectual development. But during the devastating 1918 flu pandemic, this temple of learning temporarily transformed into something much more grim. As the Spanish flu overwhelmed New Haven’s medical facilities and morgues, city officials requisitioned the library’s basement and storage areas to serve as a temporary morgue for flu victims. The library’s large, cool basement rooms were ideal for preserving bodies when the city’s official morgue capacity was exceeded by the massive death toll. Library records from this period were deliberately redacted or destroyed to spare families the embarrassment of having their loved ones associated with this makeshift arrangement. For months, patrons checked out books upstairs while bodies were stored downstairs, creating one of the most macabre chapters in American library history. The full extent of this arrangement wasn’t publicly acknowledged until decades later when renovation work uncovered evidence of the morgue operations.
Providence Athenaeum’s Literary Love Affairs
The Providence Athenaeum, founded in 1836, became a gathering place for some of America’s most celebrated writers, including Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. But the library’s most romantic secret involves Poe’s passionate courtship of Sarah Helen Whitman within its reading rooms. Poe met the widowed poet Sarah Whitman at the Providence Athenaeum in 1848, and their whirlwind romance unfolded among the library’s book stacks and reading alcoves. Whitman would inspire some of Poe’s most haunting poetry, including revisions to “The Bells” and influences on his final poems. Their relationship was conducted largely through literary correspondence and secret meetings in the library’s quiet corners. Poe proposed to Whitman in the Athenaeum’s garden, making it one of America’s most literary proposal locations. Although their engagement was broken due to Poe’s drinking and erratic behavior, their romance transformed both writers’ work and cemented the Providence Athenaeum’s reputation as a place where literature and life intersected dramatically.
Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Segregationist Sabotage
The Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, founded in 1882, was revolutionary for being one of the first truly free public libraries open to all races during the post-Civil War era. This progressive stance made it a target for segregationist politicians who couldn’t legally shut it down but could make its operations difficult. During the Jim Crow era, segregationist city council members and state legislators attempted various forms of sabotage against the library system. They tried to cut funding, impose residency restrictions that would exclude African American users, and create bureaucratic obstacles to library operations. Anonymous threats were made against library staff who served Black patrons, and there were attempts to pressure the library board to segregate its facilities. The library’s leadership courageously resisted these pressures, often at personal and professional risk. Their determination to maintain integrated services during one of America’s most racist periods represents a largely forgotten chapter of civil rights history that preceded the more famous battles of the 1960s.
Free Library of Philadelphia’s Banned Sheet Music Collection
The Free Library of Philadelphia, established in 1891, has grown to house some of America’s rarest manuscripts and musical collections. Among its most controversial holdings is a collection of sheet music that was banned throughout the South during Reconstruction for being considered “too provocative.” This collection includes popular songs, dance music, and ballads that Southern authorities deemed harmful to public morality or potentially incendiary to racial tensions. Some songs were banned for their lyrics that promoted racial equality or criticized Southern social customs. Others were forbidden because their musical styles were considered too influenced by African American musical traditions. The library quietly acquired these banned pieces as they were removed from Southern music stores and private collections. Musicians and composers whose work was censored often donated copies to Northern libraries to preserve their artistic legacy. Today, this collection provides invaluable insight into how music was used as a tool of social control during one of America’s most tumultuous periods.
Los Angeles Public Library’s Hidden Wartime Sanctuary
The Los Angeles Public Library, founded in 1872, has survived earthquakes, fires, and decades of social upheaval while serving one of America’s most diverse populations. But during World War II, the library quietly became a sanctuary for Japanese-American families facing internment. As Executive Order 9066 forced Japanese-Americans into internment camps, many families had nowhere to store their personal documents, family photographs, and important papers. The Los Angeles Public Library secretly agreed to house these family records and personal archives for safekeeping during the internment period. Library staff created a covert storage system to protect these materials from government seizure or public discovery. This arrangement was kept completely off official records to protect both the families and the library staff from potential prosecution. When Japanese-American families returned after the war, the library quietly returned their stored materials, helping them rebuild their lives and preserve their family histories. This act of civil disobedience by librarians represents one of the most heroic chapters in American library history.
Detroit Public Library’s FBI Surveillance Files
The Detroit Public Library, established in 1865, stands as both an architectural marvel and a testament to the city’s industrial heritage. But during the Red Scare of the 1940s and 1950s, this library became an unlikely repository for government surveillance materials. Secret FBI microfilm reels containing surveillance records from labor union investigations were hidden within the library’s vast archival collections. These files documented FBI monitoring of Detroit’s powerful labor unions, particularly the United Auto Workers, during the height of anti-communist paranoia. Library staff were reportedly unaware of the true nature of these materials, which were disguised as historical research documents. The microfilms contained wiretap transcripts, meeting surveillance reports, and background investigations of union leaders and members. When these files were eventually discovered decades later during archival reorganization, they revealed the extent of government surveillance of American workers during the Cold War era. The library’s unwitting role as a surveillance archive highlights how government agencies infiltrated civilian institutions during periods of political paranoia.
Mechanics’ Library’s Labor Revolution Headquarters
The Mechanics’ Library in San Francisco, founded in 1854, was specifically created to educate tradesmen and workers rather than society’s elite, making it unique among American libraries of its era. This working-class focus made it a natural gathering place for early labor organizers and union activists. The library’s meeting rooms and reading areas became informal headquarters for planning some of California’s first major worker protests and strikes. Library staff quietly supported these activities by providing research materials on labor law, workers’ rights, and organizing strategies. The library’s collection included radical political texts and labor newspapers that were difficult to find elsewhere in conservative San Francisco. During major labor disputes, union leaders would use the library as a neutral meeting ground to negotiate with employers and plan strike strategies. This role as a quiet force in labor history helped establish San Francisco as a center of American labor activism. The library’s contribution to workers’ rights movements has been largely overlooked by historians who focus on more dramatic aspects of labor organizing.
Carnegie Free Library’s Strike Integration Strategy
The Carnegie Free Library of Braddock, established in 1889, holds the distinction of being the very first Carnegie library built in the United States, launching Andrew Carnegie’s massive library philanthropy program. But this library’s integration story involves calculated timing that most historians overlook. Originally built with segregated facilities like most Southern and border-state libraries, the Braddock library made a quiet decision to desegregate during a major steelworker strike. Library officials realized that maintaining racial segregation during a period when Black and white workers were striking together would create bad publicity for the steel industry and the town. The integration happened gradually and without fanfare, as library staff simply stopped enforcing segregation policies while public attention was focused on labor disputes. This strategic timing allowed the library to integrate without the violent confrontations that marked desegregation efforts in other communities. The steelworker strike provided perfect cover for social change, as both Black and white workers needed access to the same information and meeting spaces. By the time the strike ended, integrated library services had become the accepted norm in Braddock.
Peabody Institute Library’s Underground Evolution Lectures
The Peabody Institute Library in Massachusetts, founded in 1852, was established as a gift to the working class by self-made millionaire George Peabody, who wanted to provide educational opportunities for ordinary citizens. But the library’s most controversial activities involved hosting secret lectures on evolutionary theory long before it was legal to teach evolution in public schools. During the late 19th century, when Darwin’s theories were considered religiously and socially dangerous, the Peabody Library quietly arranged for scientists and educators to present evolution lectures in its meeting rooms. These underground educational sessions were disguised as general science talks or natural history presentations to avoid religious and political controversy. Library staff carefully screened attendees and kept no official records of these evolution lectures to protect both speakers and participants. The library’s board included progressive thinkers who believed working-class citizens deserved access to cutting-edge scientific knowledge, regardless of religious objections. These covert educational activities helped spread scientific literacy among Massachusetts workers decades before evolution became accepted in mainstream education. The library’s role in promoting scientific knowledge represents one of the earliest examples of libraries serving as centers for intellectual freedom and educational advancement.
What secrets might your local library be hiding in its forgotten corners?
Christian Wiedeck, all the way from Germany, loves music festivals, especially in the USA. His articles bring the excitement of these events to readers worldwide.
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