Library Takes a Trip Back in Time to Celebrate
History
Photos: Philip Liborio Gangi
At left, Children's Room Librarian Ruth Maginuis helps children
operate computers.
Musician Scott Anthony (right) strums a tune, circa 1914.
By Dmitry Kiper
What year is it?
The assassination of Franz Ferdinand (the archduke of Austria-Hungary)
ignited World War I - or as it was known then, The Great War.
Woodrow Wilson was in the middle of his first term as president
of the United States. The Ford Motor Company announced an
eight-hour work day and a minimum wage of $5 per day and Charlie
Chaplin made his first one-reel silent film. He made 34 more
that same year.
It was 1914, and although it was less than a 100 years ago,
to most people it seems intangible in their daily lives.
On Saturday, Nov. 6, The Richmond/Senator Milton Marks Branch
Library on Ninth Avenue celebrated its 90th anniversary. The
event made the year 1914 a bit more tangible with silent movie
showings, snacks from the era, a history quiz and a musical
performance by banjo player Scott Anthony.
The event began at 2 p.m. with a showing of "Gertie
the Dinosaur," one of the first animated films ever made.
With an upbeat jazz soundtrack, the simple 10-minute cartoon
- in those days, every frame had to be drawn by hand - featured
a dinosaur eating grass, standing up, dancing and rubbing
his belly. The climax came when the dinosaur began eating
a palm tree with a monkey in it (the monkey narrowly escaped).
The cartoon entertained the children and adults.
The cartoon and silent films were shown in a room on the
first floor of the library. At the beginning of the animated
film, there were about a dozen children and adults in the
audience, including Tim Williams, the branch manager of the
library, clean-shaven and sharply dressed in the height of
turn-of-the-century fashion.
"This cartoon was made the same year this library was
opened," Williams said.
Once the cartoon was over, some audience members poured out
of the room to the snack table featuring treats from 1914:
Tootsie Rolls, Cracker Jacks, ginger snap cookies, root beer
and ginger ale.
The next film was "Mabel and Fatty Viewing the World's
Fair at San Francisco," starring popular silent film
stars Fatty Arbuckle and Mabel Normand. The film had some
historic shots of the Marina District, Ferry Building, Market
Street and Union Square. It even featured SF Mayor James "Sunny
Jim" Rolph having a chat with Arbuckle and Normand.
"San Francisco was very anxious to let the world know
that it recovered from the earthquake of 1906," Williams
pointed out to the growing crowd.
During the film, more people started to pour into the room
and the audience grew to about 25, about half of them children.
"Mom, they have root beer," exclaimed one smiling
five-year-old boy upon his return from the snack area.
The last film, and the one that got the best reaction from
the audience, was "Dough and Dynamite," which featured
Charlie Chaplin as an accident-prone waiter. Quagmire after
quagmire, Chaplin held the attention of the audience and made
adults and kids alike laugh out loud.
After the silent movie showing, in the main area on the first
floor, California Assemblyman Leland Yee presented a plaque
commemorating the 90th anniversary of the current Richmond
library building. Williams gladly accepted. Both men held
the plaque, smiled, and a few flashes went off before the
musical portion of the program commenced.
Musician Scott Anthony took the floor, wearing khakis and
a burgundy bow tie. He performed the music of 1914 with the
help of his banjo and his electric bass pedal which he tapped
with his shoeless right foot.
"Sailin' Down the Chesapeake Bay" was the first
tune. Anthony played more than 20 songs, most of which were
requested by the audience. Classics like "Yankee Doodle
Dandy," "Oh Susanna" and "I've Been Workin'
on the Railroad" were met with as much enthusiasm and
applause as the lesser-known songs of the time.
While many of the songs were from 1914, the play-list spanned
from 1890 to the 1930s.
Halfway through the set, Anthony picked up his four-string
Gibson guitar and played more old favorites. He showed the
crowd that he is not only a virtuoso banjo player, but a virtuoso
guitar player as well. His meticulous finger picking and strumming
were only matched by his enthusiasm throughout the performance.
Following the performance, there was a second showing of
silent films. There was also a 20 question "history quiz"
lying around on a few desks. It was meant to test the audience's
knowledge of the time.
One question asked was:
Prior to construction of this building, the Richmond Branch
shared quarters with:
a) A school;
b) A police station;
c) A candy store?
The correct answer is a candy store.
Although the building is 90 years old, the original library
branch has existed since 1892. It was first located at Point
Lobos Toll Road (now Geary Boulevard) and Parker Avenue, and
in 1897 it was relocated to the back of a candy store on Fourth
Avenue and Clement Street.
In 1901, Andrew Carnegie offered $750,000 for the construction
of a main library and several branch libraries. A measure
to reject the grant was on the ballot in 1912 did not pass,
making the funds available. The Richmond library building
cost approximately $50,000.
While the 90th anniversary celebration was educational in
reminding the audience of the rich history of the Richmond
District, it was also fun and entertaining for all those who
came.
"I came here for the music and the old films,"
said Lorraine Carolan, a vibrant 83-year-old woman who attended
the event.
