Darlington, WI. – The Wisconsin Historical Society announces the listing of the Darlington Carnegie Free Library in Darlington, Lafayette County, on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Darlington Carnegie Free Library is an intact example of a free-standing small public library building, a type erected during of the boom period of library construction in the early twentieth century. The Darlington Library is one of 64 built in Wisconsin communities with the support of philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who financed the construction of libraries across the United States.

The Darlington Library represents the work of master architects Louis W. Claude and Edward F. Starck, noted for designing various public libraries erected throughout the upper Midwest. Darlington’s library is Tudor Revival in style, with steep roofs, diamond-paned windows, and a prominent chimney inspired by sixteenth century English building. The Library now serves as the home of the Lafayette County Historical Society.

The Fuldner Heritage Fund paid for the preparation of this nomination. This endowed fund, created through a generous donation by the Jeffris Family Foundation and administered by the Wisconsin Historical Society, supports the nomination of historically and architecturally significant rural and small-town properties.

The National Register is the official list of historic properties in America deemed worthy of preservation and is maintained by the National Park Service in the U.S. Department of the Interior. The Wisconsin Historical Society administers the program within Wisconsin. It includes sites, buildings, structures, objects and districts that are significant in national, state or local history, architecture, archaeology, engineering or culture.

Additional information for the library is available at https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/NationalRegister/NR2722

About the Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit www.wisconsinhistory.org.

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