Laurel Branch Library is the Laurel, Maryland branch of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System , at the intersection of Seventh Street and Talbott Avenue. The current Stanley Memorial Building opened to the public on November 28, 2016.
16-529: This branch's buildings have been named after the family of Charles H. Stanley , who was a city commissioner (1880–1882), mayor (1891–1893), and state comptroller (1911–1912). Friends of the Laurel Library, a philanthropic group of local community members, has supported the branch since January 1996. The library features over 50,000 books, DVDs, and magazines. Patrons have access to color printers and 53 computers. A double-sided fireplace offers warmth near
32-582: A reading area, and a children's room uses a dinosaur theme, a nod to the Dinosaur Park near Laurel. A gaming room may be used to play video games. For those short on time, the library has a drive-through window for picking up and returning library materials. The Laurel Branch of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System was the recipient of the 2018 AIA / ALA Library Building Awards for excellence in architectural design. The public art commission for
48-631: A temporary location behind the Laurel Municipal Center on March 31, 2014, to allow for construction. After nearly a year of delay, construction of the $ 14 million project was to begin in October/November 2014 with a grand opening in early 2016. The project's groundbreaking ceremony occurred on May 27, 2015, with an updated opening set for the last quarter of 2016. The Prince George's County Board of Library Trustees decided in January 2014 to remove
64-701: Is in section E. 108 of Ivy Hill Cemetery in Laurel. Land inherited by Stanley's heirs included the downtown Laurel area bounded by Montgomery Street, Fifth Street, Gorman Avenue , and Eighth Street. The Laurel branch buildings of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System have been named in memory of the Stanley family, who deeded land for the branch to the library system for $ 10 in 1963. Stanley's son William served as an Assistant Attorney General in President Franklin Roosevelt 's administration in
80-652: The Maryland House of Delegates from 1883 to 1885, and mayor of Laurel from 1891 to 1893 (two terms). In 1911, Stanley was appointed by Governor Austin Lane Crothers as the Comptroller of Maryland to complete the term of William B. Clagett , who died in office after his own appointment to complete a predecessor's term. After a two-month illness, Stanley died of heart and kidney trouble on December 20, 1913, while asleep at his home in Laurel, Maryland. His burial site
96-706: The University of Maryland , from 1882. He worked for the School Commissioners of Prince George's County and was elected in 1906 to the office of first vice-president by the Association of School Commissioners and County Superintendents of Maryland. Additionally, he was a member and president of the Maryland State Board of Education ; an attorney for the Laurel Building Association; chancellor of
112-559: The Vansville Farmers' Club of Prince George's County. He also worked as a banker, including roles as founder and president of Citizens National Bank of Laurel from March 1890 to 1913. Stanley was director of the B&;O Railroad from 1883 to 1886 and a member and chairman of the executive committee of the Board of Trustees for Maryland Agricultural College, the original chartered name of
128-639: The Washington Diocese of the Protestant Episcopal Church ; vestryman of St. Philip's Protestant Episcopal Church in Laurel and superintendent of its Sunday school; member and past master of the Laurel Wreath Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons ; and member of the Law and Order Society of Laurel. Stanley served as a city commissioner for Laurel, Maryland from 1880 to 1882, a member of
144-612: The 1930s. Others among his four sons served as trustees for Citizens National Bank . Vansville, Maryland Vansville is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County , Maryland , United States. For statistical purposes, it is part of the Beltsville census-designated place (CDP). Vansville is named after the Van Horne family, who operated a tavern along the post road ( U.S. Route 1 ). This article about
160-591: The Laurel library front entrance was awarded to the Washington Glass School . The 16-foot (4.9 m) high glass-and-steel sculpture was made involving the surrounding community and library groups. In a series of glass making workshops, images of books and stories, education and learning, and shared aspirations were created at the Washington Glass School to be incorporated into the internally illuminated tower. Laurel's first library opened in 1916 in
176-607: The Patuxent Bank Building and moved to 384 Main Street in 1929 in space shared with the Woman's Club of Laurel. The library got a building of its own in 1967. The former branch building, named Stanley Memorial Library , was dedicated on May 7, 1967 and completed a major expansion in 1993. Having outgrown its building, plans were made beginning in 2005 to replace it with a new facility. The library closed on March 8, 2014, and reopened at
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#1733084839371192-430: The Stanley name from the new library, to be consistent in naming branches after their location rather than after people. A coalition of residents, including Mayor Craig Moe, campaigned to keep the Stanley name for historic reasons, and noted that the library was built on land donated by the Stanley family and named in accordance with the deed. Other residents said Charles Stanley was a Confederate soldier and by association
208-459: The couple moved to Laurel and had no children. Margaret Snowden, a descendant of the Snowden family that settled Laurel, became Stanley's second wife on September 11, 1884. Nine children were born of this marriage, six of whom survived to 1907: Harvey; Charles H. Stanley, Jr.; William; John Snowden; Margaret Snowden; and Elizabeth Hopkins. Stanley was a farmer, farm investor, and charter member of
224-678: Was a Confederate American Civil War veteran, having served as a private in Company B of the First Regiment, Maryland Cavalry from 1862 to 1865. Upon enlistment, he was 19 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, and light complected with light hair and gray eyes. After his military service, Stanley taught school and studied law under General Thomas Bowie ; he was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1869. Stanley married his first wife, Ella Lee Hodges (January 1841 – October 1, 1881) on November 26, 1871;
240-452: Was an American lawyer and Democratic Party politician. Stanley, a descendant of James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby , was born on November 20, 1842, in Saybrook, Connecticut , to Rev. Dr. Harvey Stanley and Mary Anne (Kinne) Stanley of North Carolina. In 1851, he moved to Prince George's County, Maryland with his parents, where he attended local schools and received private tutoring. He
256-418: Was pro-slavery and his name should not be on the building. Library officials ultimately decided to keep the Stanley name on the building and place a memorial plaque in the building's lobby. 39°6′12.11″N 76°51′22.16″W / 39.1033639°N 76.8561556°W / 39.1033639; -76.8561556 Charles H. Stanley Charles Harvey Stanley (November 20, 1842 – December 20, 1913)
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