Youngstown Library Association Articles of Incorporation

This document contains the articles of incorporation for the Youngstown Library Association, including the names of the original founders. Of special note among the founders is Reuben McMillan, a nationally known educator. The articles of incorporation allowed the library association to receive gifts and legacies.

The Reuben McMillan Free Public Library began with the efforts of community leaders who sought to books other than standard textbooks available to children. In 1870 there were 168 volumes in the library at the Wood Street School that could be loaned to families with children in school. By 1878, the library had grown enough to be moved into a separate building. Two years later, a newspaper article boasted that the library owned over 1,400 volumes. In 1880, the association took out articles of incorporation to allow them to receive gifts and legacies. Growth of the library continued through 1890 when John Clarke, a Columbiana County native, sponsored a law allowing a property tax to be levied for the support of the library.