Brief History of FDPL
The photographs above show the main floor of Fort Dodge’s original Carnegie-funded public library at 605 1st Avenue North. Fort Dodge’s first free public library opened in 1890, located above Carter’s Jewelry Store at 610 ½ Central Avenue. The library quickly became popular and soon outgrew its space.
In 1898, Martha Haskell offered $10,000 in memory of her husband, A.E. Haskell, to fund a new library building, provided the city supplied a suitable site. Her generous offer was initially ignored, but when she renewed it in 1899, several prominent citizens recognized the value of her proposal and launched a fundraising campaign.
Two Fort Dodge residents living in Washington, D.C. were asked to make a personal appeal to Andrew Carnegie, who inquired how much the community was willing to contribute annually for maintenance before granting $30,000 toward construction.
Fort Dodge’s Carnegie-funded Public Library was dedicated on October 12, 1903, and served the community for nearly a century before closing on November 30, 2000, in preparation for the move to our current location.
Researching Local History at the Library
If you are interested in learning more about the history of our library, Fort Dodge, Webster County, or your own family genealogy, we have a variety of resources available for you to explore.
Our collection includes a microfilm reader-printer and microfilmed issues of some of the earliest Fort Dodge newspapers, dating back to 1861, as well as Fort Dodge Messenger issues from 1872–2019. Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor and the Fort Dodge Public Library Foundation, these newspapers are also available in a digitized format.
In addition to newspapers, the Library has plat maps, city directories, yearbooks from Fort Dodge Senior High and St. Edmond Catholic High School, and indexes of marriages, births, baptisms, and local cemeteries.
Please note that, because of copyright laws, digitized newspaper issues published after 1924 can only be accessed using library computers or our Wi-Fi connection.
If you are unable make it to the library to search the Fort Dodge newspapers yourself, our staff can do a search for you. Having a specific date, or at least a month and year, is most helpful, but a name or event with an approximate year will also work, depending on what you are researching. Staff will complete research requests as time allows.
For more in-depth research projects or faster turnaround, we encourage you to reach out to one of our partner organizations listed below.
Webster County Genealogical Society
The Webster County Genealogical Society’s office is located in the Fort Dodge Public Library. They are open by appointment only. Society members will provide research services for a fee. Please direct any questions for the Genealogical Society to them using the information provided below.
Contact:
Webster County Genealogical Society424 Central Avenue, Room 134
Fort Dodge, Iowa 50501
Webster County Historical Society
The Webster County Historical Society’s office is located in the Fort Dodge Public Library. Their office hours are:
Monday through Thursday 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Friday hours will vary.
Saturdays by appointment only (9:30 a.m. - 12:30p.m.).
Please direct any questions for the Historical Society to them using the information provided below.
Contact:
Webster County Historical Society
424 Central Avenue, Room 143
Fort Dodge, Iowa 50501
Karl L. King Municipal Band
The Karl King Band is Fort Dodge's municipal band. This ensemble provides a summer concert series in the Karl King Bandshell in beautiful Oleson Park and an indoor concert series held in the auditorium of Iowa Central Community College. These concerts are free to all, and are provided as a service by the City of Fort Dodge.
Karl L. King's distinguished career as a bandmaster, prolific composer and musician made him a legend in his own lifetime. Everyone has heard his Barnum and Bailey's Favorite which, along with the other 200 marches he composed, assured him the world-wide status of March King along with John Philip Sousa and Henry Fillmore.
Contact:
For questions concerning band business, performance schedules, etc. call:
T.H. Hoefing, Band Manager, 712-469-2094
Access to/viewing of archival and historical displays and materials is available by appointment only. For more information call:
Nancy R. Olson, 515-570-3008
Researching Online
Ancestry Library Edition
DPLA
Making millions of materials from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions across the country available to all in a one-stop discovery experience.
Fold3
HeritageQuest
Local & Webster County Newspaper Digital Archives
Digital archives of newspapers from Fort Dodge and surrounding Webster county towns for the years 1856 to 1934. Years available depend on the newspaper.
Messenger Newspaper Digital Archives
In-Library Use Only. Digital archives of the Fort Dodge Messenger for the years 1910-2019.
Niche Academy
Tutorials, including short videos, show how to use many of our online resources. Also includes tutorials on computer, internet and social media basics, research essentials, job skills and resume writing, and CDC zombie preparedness information.
State Historical Society of Iowa
Numerous indexes, records, and publications from the State Historical Society of Iowa collections are available online. Through their partnerships, and with support from the State Library of Iowa, you can access digitized maps, publications, newspapers, vital records, and much more.
