SAN ANGELO, Texas — Dunbar Library was the only Black library in segregated San Angelo from 1932-1972. Decades later, there were talks of demolishing the building that housed it.
Rather than watch a historic site in town disappear, a group of people including now retired Pastor Craig Meyers and Angelo State University President Ronnie Hawkins pushed to renovate and restore it. Now, the building – which reopened in 2017 – functions as a library and museum. It is open from 10 a.m. to noon each Saturday and during the week, by request.
Meyers and his wife, Sally, – the longtime Tom Green County children’s librarian – oversee the facility’s day-to-day operations. He said the group didn’t just want Dunbar to be a historical monument, they wanted it to be used.
"A tremendous amount of work has gone into making this place what it is now,” he said. “And it’s underused, and it’s unique in the area – I think – in terms of the variety of resources we have.”
There are several volumes of Civil Rights encyclopedias near the library's entrance which can be used for research. Underneath a table with dozens of films (which can be checked out), there is a box of books that are free for visitors to take home.
One of Dunbar’s bookshelves is dedicated to a collection from the original library. The worn blue hardcover books from the “The Hardy Boys” series show their age. The covers of some of the mystery novels have scratches and parts of their spines are slightly torn.
A notable relic sits on top of the same bookshelf - a dark bronze trophy honoring the 1950 Prairie View Interscholastic League (PVIL) state champion San Angelo Blackshear Leopards football team. Texas’s high school sports were segregated until 1967, and the PVIL disbanded in 1970.
Visitors can also check out books from Dunbar, and according to Meyers, a library card is not needed. Those who want to schedule a visit during the week can call 325-450-9273.