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In 1901,
Rachael Beckwith Moore, wife of Nathaniel Ford Moore, bought land in the village
of Greene to build a library. Rachael's sons, William Henry Moore and James
Hobart Moore spent their childhood in Greene and later became wealthy
businessmen. Together they controlled a company that helped found the National
Biscuit Company, later called Nabisco. They also controlled the Rock Island,
Chicago and Pacific Railway. William founded the Diamond Match Company and four
companies that were consolidated into the United States Steel Corporation. The
Moore brothers donated $65,000 for the library construction and $65,000 for
books and endowment. William's widow later left an additional $150,000 for the
library's endowment fund. After their mother, Rachael Moore died in 1909, the
library served as a memorial to her.
Construction of
the library began in 1901 and the library opened on January 28, 1904. The
building is built with Indiana sandstone and boasts stately Greek architecture.
The marble pillars, brick foundation, intricate wood carvings on the inside
pillars, tiled mosaic floors, and thick walls truly make Moore Memorial Library
an impressive structure. The Cynthia Raymond Room in the basement of the library
was dedicated in 1980. A local history museum is located on the third floor. The
library was named by the first trustees of the village to honor the Moore
family's generous gift to the village. Generations of villagers and visitors
have admired and appreciated the majestic stone library, an august and beautiful
reminder of the civic-minded Moores whose descendants still support the library
through the Edward S. Moore Foundation.
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