Bliss War Memorial Library
Never Built
Description
Ex-Congressman Col. A.T. Bliss provided a challenge grant to raise money for
construction of a library. The facility was to provide a library for the
college, a military museum for the State of Michigan, and honor Col. A.T. Bliss.
Neither fine words or frantic effort was able to raise the challenge grant of
$40,000 by the June 1895 deadline. In the midst of a severe depression, it was
impossible to persuade subscribers to honor their pledges; real estate
investments lay barren, and income from investments ran dry. When it became
evident that no money was forthcoming, The Bliss Library and Memorial Hall was
quietly laid to rest.
The proposed Bliss Library and War Museum, unrealized when the challenge grant failed.
Source: Keith Fennimore. The Albion College Sesquicentennial History. Albion, Michigan: Albion College. 1985.
