In the 1930’s, the Works Progress Administration began an innovative effort to bring books to the isolated and underserved areas of the Appalachian Mountains. Librarians on horseback carried saddlebags filled with books through rough mountain passages to deliver to families who came to rely on them.
The Pack Horse Library served the mountains of Kentucky between 1936-1943. Although the program officially ran for only seven years, its impact was much greater than it appears on paper.
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Life in the Mountains
Between the early 1800’s and 1970, Appalachia was the United States’ main coal producing region. The picture above is of one of these coal mining towns and shows the dilapidated and unsanitary conditions that prevailed throughout the area. This was the setting that the Pack Horse Librarians rode into with the hope and intention of promoting literacy and helping people learn to read. (The town here is Panther Red Ash Coal Corporation, Douglas Mine, Panther, McDowell County, West Virginia).
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The Pack Horse librarian project ran between 1936 and 1943. This chart reports the illiteracy rates for all of Kentucky as one whole, but in reality, the illiteracy rate in the Appalachians was significantly higher than the rest of the state or country. In 1910 Census reports, illiteracy rates in this region were recorded at as high as 35%, and some rural areas, with likely higher illiteracy rates, were not included in this report. By 1930, rural areas were included in the Census, and 19-31% of those in South-Eastern Kentucky were recorded as illiterate. The chart above records the illiteracy rate in 1930 Kentucky at 7%, which shows the disparity in reading levels in the state–in order for the state average to be so low (7% statewide compared to 19-31% in the Appalachians), the rest of Kentucky must have had a very high literacy rate in order to bring the average down. Kentucky’s Appalachian Mountains, where the Pack Horse Librarians worked, was clearly in need of help.
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The Berea College Book Wagon
The Berea College Book Wagon was one of the first attempts at a mobile library in Kentucky. The wagon was the product of efforts by Berea College’s head librarian, Euphemia K. Corwin. After many efforts to fundraise for a larger program, including a rejected appeal to the Carnegie foundation, Corwin created this book wagon to serve the impoverished families of Appalachian Kentucky. The library was supplied using funds from donors and donated books, and the wagon was run by three Berea College Students. By 1921, the wagon had 4,775 books in circulation, and its services were wildly popular. The wagon was discontinued in 1923, but it foreshadowed the success of the Pack Horse Librarians. 2
These were the instructions given to the students who ran the popular Berea College Book Wagon. In this directive it is clear the importance that this library, and later the Pack Horse Librarians, had in the Appalachian community. Librarians were instructed to do more than just distribute books. They needed to be prepared to be a source of support and knowledge to the communities they served. People looked to them for a kind word and for sound advice, along with the expected reading material. These librarians were also a representative of the educated community. They needed to present patience and acceptance to give off the right impression about education. Their title may have been “librarian,” but these people really represented so much more.
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Life as a Pack Horse Librarian
The majority of Pack Horse Librarians were women, but there were some men who participated. Books were stored and sorted in makeshift “libraries” in more populated areas, where the librarians picked up their load at the beginning of the day, as seen here. Librarians made an effort to learn what type of book was popular on their route so that they could bring books that would be appreciated. The Pack Horse effort was supported by many volunteers, and people offered their space for the use of the librarians. This picture (above left) shows the juxtaposition of how the urban Kentuckians lived versus their rural counterparts. This librarian is in a clean and modern space, but he is dressed for the conditions that he will be facing: long boots for crossing rivers, heavy-duty pack for the long route, jacket for cold weather. While the people of the Kentucky mountains faced dilapidated dwellings and the cold, their neighbors were living in comparative luxury.
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The efforts of the Pack Horse Librarian Project were mostly focused towards young people. Librarians hoped to foster a love for learning and a desire to grow in the children of rural communities. This photo shows the popularity of the mobile librarians. Children would run to meet the book-laden horse or mule, and clamor for the new selection of reading material. The librarian would carefully distribute the books, each child receiving books that were appropriate for their age and capabilities. In many ways, the project was a labor of love, and the librarians worked to best support the communities they served. (Picture above right)
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Throughout the mid 20th century, Kentucky’s development and modernization lagged behind the rest of the country. Compared to neighboring states, Kentucky had significantly fewer paved roads and highways, which limited economic opportunities and development for rural areas. This picture (below, left) captures the difficult terrain that the librarians faced in order to get to the communities they served. These mountainous and isolated surroundings were one of the main reasons that these communities so badly needed the help of the Pack Horse Librarians. These devoted employees fought through rough conditions: freezing weather, rain or shine. In this photo, the area has clearly just experienced heavy rain and flooding, but the librarians pushed through discomfort to deliver to their awaiting communities.
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Although the Pack Horse Librarians began their efforts with a focus on children, in reality, everyone they came in contact with benefited. This picture shows how librarians extended their effort to help anyone they could. This man (above, right) is recovering from a gunshot wound, and the librarian clearly knew that he would need entertainment while he recovered. The page that the librarian is holding displays a picture of a bus with small lettering that appears to be for an adult reading level. The books that are on the bed are large and clearly not intended for children, meaning the librarian brought them specifically for this ill man. The setting of this photo is also striking, as it shows the dilapidated and inadequate conditions these people were living in. Newspaper is taped to the walls, and the room looks damp and dirty, clearly not the best place for an ill man to be recovering. The Pack Horse Librarians were a bright spot in the lives of these people who were living under such rough circumstances.
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The Pack Horse Library was part of the WPA, or Works Progress Administration, founded by Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Librarians’ salaries were provided by the WPA, but the books and materials were sourced through volunteers and donations, therefore an important element of the running the library was spreading the word about the important work that they did. In this photo, a Pack Horse Librarian presents her booth to FDR’s wife Eleanor Roosevelt at a local high school dedication. Eleanor was a big supporter of the Pack Horse Library because so many of its employees were women. In fact most of the librarians were young, married women, providing the only income to their families. The displays like the one shown here were part of the fundraising and publicity effort to encourage people, both politicians and volunteers, to support this important work.
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Additional Benefits of the Pack Horse Library
Because the Pack Horse Library was a part of the WPA (Works Progress Administration), employees of the library needed to be members of the local community (this was a hiring requirement of the WPA). This had many major benefits. The first is that the money the librarians were paid went into the local community. Librarians were required to provide their own transportation, meaning horse or mule. In many cases, the librarians rented one from a local farmer, helping that farmer make a living in the difficult economic times that they were living in. Some librarians would also hire an assistant, as can be seen in this picture, again helping another person make ends meet. The other benefit of local librarians was the trust that they fostered. At first, rural families were weary of the new libraries, nervous about what they would be promoting or where they were coming from. The familiar faces helped the librarians be accepted and allowed the families the comfort of knowing that the librarians were people just like them.
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This excerpt from the Washington Times on February 4, 1938 shows the popularity and publicity of the Pack Horse Library project. Washington DC and Kentucky are over 400 miles apart, and yet word of this small scale library project made news in big cities. The Paper notes the value of these libraries, and the love that the people had for any book that they could get their hands on. The article finishes with a hint to the larger impact that these mobile libraries had: they encouraged people to put in the effort to learn more and join what were known as “Moonlight Schools.” Moonlight Schools were founded by Cora Wilson Stewart to battle adult illiteracy, and they had existed since the early 1910’s. The Pack Horse Library project showed people that there was a lot to be gained from an education, and as can be seen from this newspaper, the Libraries were a launching point for people to learn more.
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Although their stated purpose was to deliver books, the Pack Horse Librarians served another, equally important purpose: they were a sign of life from the outside to rural communities. The areas that the librarians served were very isolated and extremely difficult to access, meaning that few people from the cities and other areas ever visited. When the Librarians came, they brought books, but they also brought news from the rest of the world. As can be seen in this photo, part of the joy of the Librarian’s arrival was to talk with them and hear what was new outside of the little community’s circle. Most librarians came to a family at least twice a month, so people looked forward to this rare visit and took advantage of the opportunity to expand their knowledge of current events.
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SOURCES
Throughout this site, information is numbered according to its source. Below are the resources used:
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Schmitzer, Jeanne Cannella. “Reaching Out to the Mountains: The Pack Horse Library of Eastern Kentucky.” The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society 95, no. 1 (1997): 57–77.
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Boyd, Donald C. “The Book Women of Kentucky: The WPA Pack Horse Library Project, 1936-1943.” Libraries & the Cultural Record 42, no. 2 (2007): 111–28.
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Magazine, Smithsonian, and Eliza McGraw. “Horse-Riding Librarians Were the Great Depression’s Bookmobiles.” Smithsonian Magazine. Accessed February 23, 2024. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/horse-riding-librarians-were-great-depression-bookmobiles-180963786/.
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https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/1959/demographics/p23-006.pdf; Accessed April 11, 2024
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Humanities, National Endowment for the. “The Washington Times. [Volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, February 04, 1938, Image 12,” February 4, 1938.
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National Archives Foundation. “Power and Light.” Accessed April 12, 2024. https://archivesfoundation.org/power-and-light/.
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Zipper, Carl E., Mary Beth Adams, and Jeff Skousen. “The Appalachian Coalfield in Historical Context.” In Appalachia’s Coal-Mined Landscapes, edited by Carl E. Zipper and Jeff Skousen, 1–26. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57780-3_1.
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Berea College Library Report, 1917-18, Box 28, Folder: "Reports, 1916-1921," BCA.
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Schmitzer, Jeanne Cannella. “Reaching Out to the Mountains: The Pack Horse Library of Eastern Kentucky.” The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society 95, no. 1 (1997): 57–77
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“Moonlight Schools Collection | Library and Archives | Morehead State University.” Accessed April 12, 2024. https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/moonlight_schools_collection/.
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Vannorsdall, Joan. “The Pack Horse Librarians of Eastern Kentucky.” Blue Ridge Country, October 15, 2019. https://blueridgecountry.com/api/content/1349d918-e914-11e9-a511-1296368300b6/.
“The work cannot be hurried. A stop long enough for a friendly greeting or chat must need be made. Sometimes a mother wants to ask what we think will help her "puny" child, or the man of the house must tell his opinion of the last book we loaned him. They are friendly hearted, and we must be no less so if our mission is to be rightly filled. Most of the people whose homes we visit are poor. There are very few homes that could be called comfortable, speaking from the simplest standard. . . . [N] early all of them are hungry, very hungry, for something good to read. ... At nearly every home there is a flock of dear little children who will look upon the book-wagon as a near relative of Santa Claus.”