A Self Guided Tour: Adult Services
- Main Floor (Floor 1 in Elevator)
- One-quarter of the library’s collection is dedicated to the arts.
- Ninety percent of the floor tiles are original to the building, as is the wooden flooring.
- The window shutters were added in the 1980s.
- The chandeliers are not original but were designed to replicate the appearance of the gas fixtures that once hung in the space.
- Golden oak was used throughout the building for all woodwork.
- Home to the Indiana Author Collection.
Head Librarian from 1956 to 1975, she played a key role in recataloging the library’s collection, transitioning from the outdated Poole Classification System to the modern Dewey Decimal System.
1826-1912
He was one of the original members of the Willard Library Board of Trustees, serving as Vice President and later being elected Board President in 1891, a role he held until his death.
In 1862, he was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives. He was also among the first stockholders of the First National Bank of Evansville.
Garvin Park was named in his honor.
1861-1903
Grandson of Willard Carpenter.
Parents: Marcia (Carpenter) and DeWitt Keller.
In 1887, he became a lawyer in Evansville, Indiana. He had one child, a son named Willard Carpenter Keller Jr., who died in 1897 at the age of two.
- Portrait of Willard carpenter by T.C. Steele
- Bronze Sculpture: Often mistaken for a death mask, this piece is actually a bronze sculpture of Willard Carptener created John Baker, in 2005
1830-1904
He served as a U.S. Congressman and, during the Civil War, held the rank of Colonel in the 46th Indiana Volunteer Infantry.
He was one of Willard Carpenter’s friends and peers who encouraged him to establish a library rather than a women’s college. Rumor also suggests he may have served as Carpenter’s ghostwriter.
What is now Amcor (Formerly Berry Plastics) was once home to Fendrich Cigar Company, a company that even named a cigar after Charles Denby.
1930-1982
She donated one-fifth of her estate to Willard Library, along with her favorite portrait—a painting commissioned by her parents when she was sixteen years old. A frequent patron, she was also an avid reader with a particular fondness for Westerns.
1843-1908
This portrait was donated by her grandsons. She passed away in Massachusetts and was known to have had a strained relationship with her father, Willard Carpenter.
In August 1896, she filed a lawsuit against Willard Library, alleging that her father was of unsound mind and had been unduly influenced when establishing the institution. The court ultimately ruled in the library’s favor.
In 1968, the Board of Trustees commissioned a portrait of Bessie Hornbrook Thrall to honor her generous contributions to the library’s art book endowment. Painted by artist Fred C. Eilers, the portrait serves as a lasting tribute to her support of the arts and lifelong love of learning.
These four portraits of the Carpenter family were painted in the 1850s. Based on their timing and style, they are believed to be the work of artist J.T. Poindexter. Once the portraits are cleaned and restored, hidden signatures or dates may be uncovered, providing more accurate insight into their origin.
