Day Trips

Photo by Gerald E. Mcleod

The Dr. Eugene Clark Library in Lockhart is a monument to an unrequited love. One man's undying affection for the woman who spurned him keeps giving to the community that brought them together.

The oldest continuously operating library and the first city library in Texas, the Clark Library opened on July 6, 1900. Since then, it has expanded into the three-story building next door where they provide reading material, computers with Internet service, and children's story time.

The original building is a beautiful two-story red brick Classical Revival cruciform edifice with a dome on top. On the inside, the four arms form open rooms. The pressed-tin ceiling, woodwork, lighting fixtures, and perimeter shelving are all original. The eastern arm is accented with a stained-glass window above a stage.

Until 1956 when the seats were removed, the building also served as an auditorium. Local productions and traveling shows performed in the room now filled with tables and stacks of books. President William Howard Taft gave a speech from the stage. When actress Dorothy Sarnoff performed there, she told the audience, "If you're bored with my performance tonight, you can just reach over and grab a good book to read."

Upstairs, off a narrow gallery, is the home of the second oldest chapter of the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs. The organization began as a lyceum club, but has served several functions in the community over the years. The room still has much of the original furnishings, including Dr. Clark's small library of medical books and a photograph of him.

Which brings us back to Dr. Clark and the founding of the library. Born in New Orleans, he was orphaned at 6 years old and raised by friends of his parents. He graduated from Tulane Medical School in 1883 and moved to Lockhart. Dr. Clark practiced medicine for 13 years in the frontier town. During this time, he met the lovely Mamie Steele, a member of the local lyceum club, but unfortunately she loved another.

Dr. Clark went on to study medicine in Europe and eventually hung his shingle in San Antonio. He took sick and died in New Orleans. In his will he left $10,000 to build and endow the library. His only stipulation was that the library include a permanent meeting room for the women's club.

The building is considered one of Texas' architectural masterpieces. It was built by T.S. Hodges, the same local builder who also did the old Caldwell County Jail and the First Christian Church in Lockhart.

The Dr. Eugene Clark Library is a block south of the county courthouse at 217 S. Main St. in Lockhart. It is open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9am-6pm; Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am-8pm; Saturdays from 9am to 3pm, and closed on Sundays. On Sat., May 7, the Friends of the Library will hold a benefit book sale. For more information, go to www.clarklibraryfriends.com.

1,029th in a series. Collect them all. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of "Day Trips" 101-200, is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.