Did you know Indiana has more Carnegie libraries than any other state? Steel magnate Andrew Carnegie’s philanthropy funded a staggering 164 of them1! I’ve passed by many of the neoclassical gems on my travels, but one stands out more than the rest- and it’s not a Carnegie. Aside from its intriguing Italianate design, the library in Centerville holds a unique distinction: it’s the only one I’ve ever seen with cannonball holes!
The story of the Centerville library stretches back further than you’d expect. It kind of starts when Wayne County was organized in 1810. The village of Salisbury became the county seat a year later2, but the residents of Centerville had other plans. Determined to claim the seat of government for their growing town, they struck a deal with the state legislature: if Centerville could build a better courthouse than Salisbury’s, the county seat was theirs.
As Centerville’s new courthouse neared completion, state officials visited both towns to compare the buildings. Sensing defeat, Salisbury’s residents locked the doors of their eight-year-old courthouse and refused to let the officials inside! Forced to improvise, the inspectors counted the bricks from the outside—figuring that the building with more had to be better3. Centerville came out on top and won the county seat in 1820. Soon, Salisbury went the way of the dodo.
Centerville’s new status sent the town into overdrive. In 1867, boosters built a 20-cell jail and sheriff’s residence for a hefty $80,000, in addition to a decorative iron fence that cost another $10,0004. Unfortunately, it was becoming hard to ignore that Richmond -just a few miles east- was booming even faster. By 1873, the city seemed better positioned to take over as the seat of Wayne County5.
Losing the county seat was unthinkable for Centerville’s residents, especially after they’d narrowed Main Street from its original wide berth to handle the growing business the title had brought. Determined to keep the courthouse in town, they launched a spirited public awareness campaign. It wasn’t enough: 55% of voters backed a petition to move the county seat to Richmond regardless.
The loss of the county seat didn’t sit well with Centerville. After the jail, iron fence, and archived documents were packed up and sent to Richmond, the town’s residents refused to back down. In a last-ditch act of defiance, a group of vigilantes hauled out Black Betty -a six-pound cannon6– and positioned it across from the sheriff’s residence. They aimed at the front door and fired a blast of scrap metal in a desperate attempt to stop the removal of the town’s documents! Others joined in with rifles and sidearms.
The cannon blast tore the building’s door off its hinges and left several large holes in its front, but it wasn’t enough. Under the watchful eye of the National Guard, the remaining documents were safely relocated to Richmond. By 1873, a new brick courthouse had risen there, standing near the reassembled jail and its decorative iron fence7.
After the move, county commissioners determined that all of Centerville’s public buildings -the courthouse, the sheriff’s residence, and a public records office- were no longer necessary. The sheriff’s residence was deaccessioned to Simon and Flora McConaha for $1,2508. The building was bought and sold several times before 1924, when the Hiram Lodge #417 Free and Accepted Masons purchased it9. The Masons added a sympathetic addition to the east.
The Centerville-Center Township Library purchased the former sheriff’s residence and Masonic hall in 1997. Shortly afterwards, it announced plans to add an enormous addition to the building’s north and west sides, more than tripling its size while preserving its historic facade10. The $2 million project was completed in 199911.
So many years after it was built, the library remains a compelling piece of history. Its weathered walls have seen the rise and fall of Centerville’s political prominence, the clash of cannon fire, and the shifting tides of power. Today, its preservation as home of the Centerville-Center Township Library ensures that this piece of history remains not just a story, but a living connection to Centerville’s rich and sometimes volatile legacy.
Sources Cited
1 Steimel, R. (2023, September 13). More than Books: Carnegie Libraries in Indiana. Indiana Historical Society [Indianapolis]. Web. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
2 Fox, Henry Clay. Memoirs of Wayne County and the City of Richmond, Indiana. Madison. Western Historical Association. 1912. Print.
3 Nunemaker, Jessica. Little Indiana- Small Town Destinations. Bloomington. Indiana University Press. 2016. Print.
4 “War for the County Seat” WAYNET. Waynet, Incorporated. 2018. Retrieved 3/19/18.
5 Spahr, Walter E. History of Centerville, Indiana. Richmond. Wayne County Indiana Historical Society. 1966. Print.
6 Wonning, Paul R. Exploring Indiana’s Historic Sites, Markers & Museums. Versailles. Mossy Feet Books. 2016. Print.
7 National Register of Historic Places, Centerville Historic District, Centerville, Wayne County, Indiana, National Register # 71000008.
8 About Us (n.d.). Centerville Public Library [Centerville]. Web. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
9 126 E. Main St., Wayne County Jail and Sheriffs Residence, Centerville, c. 1974 (1974). H. Roll McLaughlin Collection. Indiana Landmarks [Indianapolis].Web. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
10 Venkayya, A. (1997, December 7). Centerville library begins branching out. The Richmond Palladium-Item. p. 3.
11 Musgrave, B. (1999, September 2). Centerville library opens in new home. The Richmond Palladium-Item. p. 1.
