The San Francisco Atheneaum and Literary Association

I often say that the Mechanics’ Institute is one of the oldest libraries in the West designed to serve the general public. But that isn’t quite true. It’s the oldest known library that still exists, but in the Gold Rush era, San Francisco actually had nearly a score of libraries. 

The hordes of people who came from all over the world in response to that nugget of gold found at Sutter’s Fort in 1848 were voracious readers. Thus, there was a great need in the community for places to read, relax, and engage with others over books and the news of the day. Books then were extremely expensive and took a long time to ship from publishers in the East. 

While many early places to read in San Francisco were as simple as a bookshelf of circulating titles in a boarding house; established libraries with their own building, organized collection of books, and a staff were relatively few. Because there was no tax system yet in place to support a “public library” (the San Francisco Public Library, the first to be funded by tax dollars would not open until 1879). Those libraries that did exist, unless they were part of a private social club or the pet project of a rich person, operated on the “membership” model. 

At least twelve Reading Rooms would open in the City between 1849 and 1854 with the bulk of them opening in 1853-1854. One of these, the Mercantile Association, with whom Mechanics’ would merge in 1906, was founded in December of 1852. Another library, the San Francisco Athenaeum and Literary Association, opened its doors just after the Mercantile, and this organization possibly was the first Black circulating library in the West. 

The San Francisco Athenaeum and Literary Association catered to the small but growing Black population of San Francisco. It was organized in 1853 by William H. Newby, a freeborn Philadelphian who had come to California in 1851. A photographer and newspaper man, Newby, with the help of Mifflin Gibbs (who later became the first black jurist in the nation and the U.S. Consul to Madagascar), founded the Athenaeum and Literary Association as a meeting place for Black men and women from all echelons of San Francisco society. 

The Black community of San Francisco was less than 400 people in the early 1850’s but there were many more living in the gold producing counties. Some of these San Franciscans were Americans from the eastern states but a surprising number hailed from Jamaica, Barbados, and other Caribbean locales. Together, clearly from diverse backgrounds, they found community and common ground in the Athenaeum’s library, reading rooms, and saloon.  

The Athenaeum was housed in a two-story building on Washington above Stockton according to one source. Its notable library consisted of some eight hundred volumes and periodicals from around the world and within its first year, it boasted seventy members and receipts totaling $2,000. This was a remarkable achievement because running a library before tax support was extremely difficult. Tax support of libraries in California wouldn’t happen until the passage of the Rogers Free Library Act of 1878.

The Athenaeums’ existence, despite its lofty plans, was relatively short-lived. Within five years it had closed its doors – likely because of the great exodus of the Black population to British Columbia in 1858 – but its literary spirit lived on in San Francisco, as evidenced by the rich reporting in the local Black-owned press. Many of these papers are fragmentary and difficult to find digitized but here’s a list!

The Mirror of the Times(1857-1862) was founded after the first California State Convention of Colored Citizens. Only fragments have survived but you can view this online via the now rather clunky Library of Congress’ Chronicling America Project or by requesting the microfilm at the California State Library or from the Library of Congress (microfilms can usually be lent to view at your local library).

Two other papers that thankfully can be searched from the comfort of your home via the California Digital Newspaper Collection include the abolitionist weekly Pacific Appeal (1862-1880) and, the Elevator(1865-1898). Enjoy!