January 27, 2005
Raleigh City Museum Begins 2005 “Pieces of the Past” Series With a Talk on the Richard B. Harrison Library

Program will look back at Raleigh's first public library Established for the African American community

RALEIGH, N.C. (January 27, 2005) - The Raleigh City Museum will begin its Spring 2005 “Pieces of the Past” Saturday Program Series with a presentation by Wanda Cox-Bailey, Branch Manager for the Richard B. Harrison Library, entitled “A Penny and a Book: The History of the Richard B. Harrison Library.” The program will be held on Saturday, February 19, 2005 at 2:00 p.m. inside the museum at 220 Fayetteville Street Mall in Downtown Raleigh. A companion exhibit on the library's history will also be on display in the museum's A.J. Fletcher Foundation Gallery from February 19 to April 2, 2005.

Originally established in 1935 to serve Raleigh's African American community, the Richard B. Harrison Library first opened inside the Delany Building on Hargett Street. Named for African American actor Richard B. Harrison, the library grew quickly thanks to the tireless efforts of Head Librarian Mollie Huston Lee (1907-1982). Ms. Lee would lead the library for nearly 40 years before her retirement in 1972. Her efforts resulted in a new home for the collection in 1948 on Blount Street, and again in 1967 at 1313 New Bern Avenue (the library's current location). Long known for civic outreach, the Richard B. Harrison Library sponsored an active bookmobile service to Wake County's rural areas, maintained branch facilities within black neighborhoods and held many educational programs for young and old. The library is now a part of the Wake County Public Library System and continues to be a vital educational center for our community.

The museum’s “Pieces of the Past” Saturday Program Series will also include "A Voice of Their Own: Raleigh & the Women's Suffrage Movement” on Saturday, March 12 at 2 p.m., and “An Afternoon With Metro Magazine Editor Bernie Reeves” on Saturday, April 2 at 2 p.m.

About the Raleigh City Museum
The Raleigh City Museum is a private, non-profit educational center that uses exhibits, lectures and programs to help residents and visitors discover the diverse aspects of the city's people, places and history. The museum opened its first exhibit in 1993 and moved to its current location in the historic Briggs Building in 1998.

For more information on these events, please contact Ken Peters, Coordinator of Education & Outreach, at 832-3775 ext. 11.

Return to Latest News