Events of the 1880's

• 1883--Library dedicated on Statehouse grounds.
  
  Edward Wilder, Secretary-Treasurer of the Santa Fe Railroad and President of the Library Board, convinced the Union Pacific Railroad and the Santa Fe to jointly fund a building for the Library on the State House grounds.
  
  The grand dedication of this building was held on a "balmy" night in April 1883.
  
  
• 1885--Two years after the new library building opened on Capitol Square, an attempt was made to burn it down. Fortunately a passerby smelled the oil smoke and rushed to the side of the building where a small blaze, near an open basement window, was in progress. The fire was extinguished and left no visible signs of damage. The newspaper reported, “The attempt was a bold and a uselessly wicked one, as no one could be benefited by the destruction of the library…If the would-be incendiary could be found, and the proof against him were strong, there would be little chance of his encumbering this sphere very much longer.”
  
  The Topeka Public Library remained on the State House grounds until it moved to its present quarters at Tenth and Washburn in 1953.

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