D. A. Tompkins Library History

The early courthouse community of Edgefield held literary interests in high esteem and had an organized philanthropic group that provided a library in the late 18th century. Indication of this fact is documented by a generous monetary gift to the Library Society from Honorable Nicholas Eveleigh & Mary his wife recorded 19 Mar. 1790 in Edgefield County, SC Deed Book 1, Pages 53-57.

Mill’s Statistics published in 1826 contains the following confirmation, "A taste for reading has been manifested by the ladies of the village [Edgefield] who with several gentlemen constitute a society which is called ‘The Female Library Society’. The meetings are held at each others houses according to an alphabetical list of names once a fortnight where conversations on literary subjects are carried on and the usual business of the society transacted."

These library meetings continued in homes until the numbers of books had grown to a degree that one of the early law offices on Buncombe Street was procured to become the home of the library. In 1908 a state charter was obtained in the name of "The Free Library".

The Edgefield Advertiser 10 Mar. 1909 announced that Senator Benjamin Tillman had sent the library a large number of valuable books. At a later date he presented another collection of about 500 books. On 18 Oct. 1914 Edgefield native Daniel Augustus Tompkins died. Co-founder of the Charlotte Observer, leading Southern industrialist and distinguished philanthropist, Tompkins made a bequest to the Town of Edgefield of $10,000 and designated the money for library purposes.

About the year 1917, a civic minded club called the Civic League purchased the law building and land and paid in installments until the last payment was made in 1922, as recorded in the Advertiser. In 1927 John Rutledge Abney, a former Edgefield resident and prominent New York attorney left his rare book collection to the Edgefield library with the stipulation that Edgefield provide a "worthy place to put them."

The law building then in use was not adequate for the books that were already in the library and the books to be given by Mr. Abney could not be placed there. It was about this time The People’s Bank failed and it was suggested that the Civic League buy this building. After conferring with the Tompkins heirs it was agreed. On 16 Apr. 1928 the Civic League was incorporated. The Civic League worked in cooperation with the Library Association who sponsored the Edgefield Free Library and using the monies in the Tompkins bequest purchased the Peoples Bank building on the square in Edgefield. $1,750, the price of the People’s Bank was paid from the estate of D. A. Tompkins.

The bank was remodeled. Mrs. (J. R.) Abney looked it over personally and was satisfied that it was "worthy". The Free Library continued to function in the Tompkins Library building until the Regional Library system was founded . In 1981 the public library moved out of the Tompkins Library building. Nancy Mims was librarian at the time. Mrs. Mims had already begun to collect genealogical materials on Old Edgefield District as many visitors came here seeking information. She retired and maintained the Tompkins Library on a volunteer basis as a genealogical and historical research library with focus on Old Edgefield District. In addition, the original valuable collections are still intact in the library.

In 1985 the Old Edgefield District Genealogical Society was chartered and began to add to the collection begun by Mrs. Mims with donations from members are friends. The collection now contains over 4500 volumes of genealogical materials, multitudes of loose paper files, microfilm reels, maps and many other valuable research materials. Visitors in the thousands come from every state to seek their roots in Old Edgefield by using the collection that continues to grow at an amazing pace.

OEDGS is a non-profit organization supported by memberships, donations, and sale of publications. [The Internal Revenue Code, Section 501 (3) allows tax deductions for the value of materials donated to the Chapter.

OEDGS records are housed in the Tompkins Memorial Library located at 104 Courthouse Square in Edgefield, South Carolina. The library is open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (except holidays), and by appointment. For more information, call 803-637-4010.