Description: This photograph is an image of the public library in Clyde, Ohio, ca. 1970s The building has a stone exterior, a tile roof, and a distinctive round corner. The names of famous authors are carved into a granite strip that borders the exterior walls. The Clyde Public Library was established in 1903 and housed on the third floor of Union School. With the aid of a $10,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie and matching community support, a public library was constructed and opened in October 1906. The library underwent an extensive renovation and expansion during the 1990s. Clyde achieved literary fame because American author Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941) spent most of his boyhood here. He based his most famous book, the short-story collection "Winesburg, Ohio" on the town of Clyde. Anderson was born on September 13, 1876, in Camden, Ohio. His family later moved to Clyde, where he spent most of his youth in that small town. When he was twenty years old, Anderson moved to Chicago, Illinois, and spent two years working at odd jobs. In 1898 he fought in the Spanish-American War. After completing his military service, Anderson returned to Ohio and enrolled at Wittenberg University but left school after only a year. He returned to Chicago and began a career as an advertising writer. In 1904, Anderson married the first of his four wives. His first three marriages ended in divorce. He published his first novel, "Windy McPherson's Son," in 1916. It was followed three years later by "Winesburg, Ohio," whose negative portrayal of Clyde and its people offended many residents. Among his more popular works were "Poor White" (1920), "The Triumph of the Egg" (1921), "Horses and Men" (1923), "Many Marriages" (1923) and "Dark Laughter" (1925). In 1927, Anderson purchased the Marion (Virginia) Publishing Company and became editor of two weekly newspapers. During this period he lived in Chicago, New Orleans, and near Troutdale, Virginia. He lived in Virginia for the remainder of his life, although he and his fourth wife traveled extensively. Anderson died of peritonitis while on a trip with his wife to South America in 1941. Anderson's writing influenced a number of authors, including Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, and William Faulkner. It was at Anderson's urging that Hemingway's and Faulkner's first novels were published. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07007
Subjects: Anderson, Sherwood, 1876-1941; Clyde (Ohio); Carnegie libraries; Libraries--Ohio; Ohio authors; Sandusky County (Ohio)
Places: Clyde (Ohio); Sandusky County (Ohio)