Kennesaw, Acworth branches consolidated into one facility
Across the street from North Cobb High School on Old 41 Highway sits the North Cobb Regional Library, a sleek, modern facility designed to serve the residents of Kennesaw and Acworth. It’s a big change from the two smaller libraries that served these communities for decades. With its larger capacity, meeting space and study areas, the 4-year-old library undoubtedly was a much-needed improvement, though the older buildings had their charm.
Several dates could mark the start of the Acworth Library. An article in the Dec. 12, 1879, issue of the Marietta Journal makes it clear there was no library in Acworth at that time. According to the newspaper’s Feb. 19, 1880, issue, the library society was “reorganized” that year. Since the 1950s, the library’s founding has been considered to be 1889, but the origin of this date is not clear. The first concrete information about the library comes from the Carrie Dyer Woman’s Club, which took over the collection in 1901. The group started in 1898 as the Calliopean Club (named after a Greek muse) and was renamed in 1901. Much of the club’s early history is found in a book about Acworth’s history, compiled by the group in 1976. According to the book, the club “paid off a $90 mortgage on the town’s library” in 1901.
The group changed its meeting place several times, eventually purchasing a house at 4535 Dallas St. in downtown Acworth in 1910 and using it as the club’s headquarters and the library’s home. During the Great Depression, the group received assistance from the Works Progress Administration to keep the library running. In 1944, the library’s management became a joint effort between the club, the city of Acworth and the Cobb County Board of Education. Louise Pitner became the head librarian, a role she would keep until 1977. Between 1944 and the 1960s, the library moved from the club to an office at the corner of Lemon and Center streets then to the old city hall.
In the 1960s, it was clear that what came to be known as the Cobb County Public Library System needed to grow. North Cobb was beginning to suburbanize, and in anticipation of these changes, it was decided that new libraries could better serve Acworth and Kennesaw. Planning began for Interstate 75 to traverse the region, and Kennesaw would become home to a college (now a university). The need for a library was especially felt in Kennesaw, where no such facility existed. In 1963, the first Kennesaw library opened in a garage — renovated by city council members — at what was city hall, now a park next to BurgerFi. The first librarian was Christine Preast, who served in that position until 1989. That same year, the Acworth Library moved to 4873 Main St., which, currently, is the home of several real estate offices.
In 1965, construction of stand-alone buildings for both libraries was approved, contracts were awarded in 1966, and two new buildings were completed and opened in January 1967. The Kennesaw Library was on Lewis Street, while Acworth’s building was on Dallas Street, next to the current city hall. The 3,000-square-foot buildings were identical to several other libraries built simultaneously in Cobb County and were given a sleek and modern design. Both buildings are still standing.
The Marietta Daily Journal is filled with countless accounts of library events, from reading groups to art shows to students learning to use a card catalog. In the 1980s, it became apparent that, as Kennesaw grew into a suburb of Atlanta, the library also would need to grow. In October 1989, a 2,000-square-foot expansion opened, giving the facility room for 9,000 new books. The addition also changed the entrance to the library. Originally, patrons entered via a door on Lewis Street, but the expansion created a door at what had been the rear of the building.
There were several plans over the years for new libraries, including one where the Kennesaw Library would move to a new building near the depot. When the Acworth Library was built, the Lake City was home to 2,500 people, a number that had reached 20,000 by 2010. During that time, the library had never expanded. To better serve both communities, the Cobb County Board of Commissioners decided to consolidate the two libraries into a larger facility between Acworth and Kennesaw. The North Cobb Regional Library was approved in 2016, and the ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Sept. 5, 2019. This building reflects how our communities have grown since the 1960s and will continue to serve patrons for years to come.
– Andrew Bramlett is vice president of the Kennesaw Historical Society and an honorary member of the Kennesaw Cemetery Preservation Commission.
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