People's Free Library of South Carolina
National Register Listing
Street Address:
Church St., Lowrys, SC (Chester County)
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817712012
Description and Narrative:
The People’s Free Library of South Carolina was established in 1903-04 by Dr. Delano Fitzgerald, a winter resident of Lowrys, and the small frame building was completed ca. 1904. Fitzgerald was a Baltimore, Maryland pharmacist who wintered in Lowrys to take advantage of the fine hunting in the area. The library made a significant contribution to the cultural and intellectual development of Lowrys and the surrounding areas between 1904 and 1954 and continues to serve as a museum and community landmark. The library operated a travelling library service from 1904 until at least 1909, perhaps the first such service in the state. The library is a small, one-story building with a single room. The building is rectangular with a gable roof, weatherboard siding, and stone foundation piers. A wooden porch spans the façade and the right side. The porch has chamfered wooden posts with reeding and sawn brackets and a balustrade with turned balusters. Listed in the National Register October 29, 1982.
Period of Significance:
circa 1904;20th century
Level of Significance:
State
Area of Significance:
Social History
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
October 29 1982
