Ashe Library Receives Large Donation from Barr Estate

By Joel Frady

The Ashe County Public Library received a large donation on Friday, May 8, from the estate of the late Robert

and Charity "Chattie" Barr. The Barrs had requested in their will that a donation from their estate be made to the library, and the $93,460.04 donation comes after the library exceeded their $500,000 goal.

"It puts us pretty far over the top," said County Librarian Jim McQueen. "It's always been the hope that if we raise more than we needed that we would end up using the excess for an endowment. That's especially important now that our state aid has been cut, and we expect to sustain another cut next year.

"Most of our materials money comes from state aid to public libraries, and it's been essentially flat for a number of years," he continued. "Now, it is actually being cut due to the current budget situation, so it's more important than ever."

McQueen said that the library will be naming the genealogy room after the Barrs. He noted that the room is one of the libraries' most important services and that "to have it bear the name of the Barrs, who were longtime supporters of the library, is very special and appropriate." In addition to supporting the library, both the Barrs were active in the county: Charity worked as the postmaster in West Jefferson and taught and West Jefferson School and Beaver Creek High School, while Robert founded the Phoenix Chair Company and later worked for Thomasville Furniture.

McQueen noted that the genealogy room features "lots of rare material in the collection that doesn't exist anywhere in the world but here" and that visitors have traveled from all over the United States and even The Netherlands to conduct family research. He said that, thanks to the contribution, the room will be "much bigger and much nicer" than it was with "more comfortable study furniture."

The library ended their fundraising campaign for renovations in February after raising more than $533,000. The library closed on March 27, 2008, for renovations and re-opened on April 9, 2008, at it's current temporary location at Jefferson Station.

When the library announced their fundraising success, McQueen said it "means we're going to have one of the best libraries in the state of North Carolina." After more than a year of construction, the Ashe County Public Library is preparing to move back into their permanent home.

"We're ahead of schedule," McQueen said about the renovations, "but we're still going by the contract date that [construction workers] will be completely through and out of there by June 2." He noted that will "probably move back in there starting in the middle of June."

To find out more about the Ashe County Public Library, call (336) 846-2041 or visit their current location at Jefferson Station in West Jefferson.