Officials reveal Timmonsville library design

By Charles Tomlinson
Morning News Reporter
Published: May 16, 2008

TIMMONSVILLE — The site of a former tobacco warehouse will become the home of Timmonsville’s future Baker Memorial Public Library, named after the family who owned the warehouse and donated the property.

Library, county and statewide officials broke ground Friday on the new library site, at 298 W. Smith St., and revealed preliminary drawings of the new 6,500-square-foot branch library.

Dr. Hubert C. Baker, whose family donated the property, said that in his youth he spent a great deal of time sweeping the concrete floor that still remains at the former Planters Warehouse site after it burned in the 1970s.

Baker said a library will be a fitting, educational use for the land — after all, his father led him to realize that he wanted an education so he wouldn’t have to spend the rest of his life sweeping warehouse floors in 100-degree heat.

“I only trust that (the library) will be air-conditioned,” he joked.

He spoke at Friday’s ceremony along with his sister, Kay Baker Floyd. The warehouse was owned by their parents, the late Bill and Hazel Baker, and their uncle, Ray Baker, also was involved in the business, they said.

Since 2001, the Florence County Library system has placed new libraries in Lake City, Florence and Pamplico.

“This will be the fourth jewel in the crown of libraries for Florence County,” said Dr. Julia Mims, chairwoman of the library system’s board of trustees.

The new library will house more than 8,000 books as well as 14 computers, 10 for adults and four for children, said Florence County councilman Mitchell Kirby, whose district includes Timmonsville. The current library has only two public computers.

Timmonsville librarians also have said they need more space to hold children’s programs at the library rather than using the town’s Boys & Girls Club as an alternate location.

Offering better access to information is important because South Carolina has the third-highest illiteracy rate in the United States, Mims said.

Timmonsville’s new library also will feature a 65-seat community meeting room, Kirby said.

The Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation has given a $2 million grant to build Timmonsville and Olanta’s new branch libraries. Florence County has approved about $1 million each for the two libraries.

The new libraries are estimated to cost between $2 million and $2.2 million each.

The Olanta library also has received $250,000 from the state Legislature.

A ground breaking ceremony for Olanta’s new library will take place next week, on May 23.