Built in 1917 (Tudor Revival architecture). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
“The Sterling Free Public Carnegie Library is a Carnegie library located at 132 N. Broadway in Sterling, Kansas, United States.”
Wikipedia article Sterling Free Public Carnegie Library, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 11 National Register listings published here for Rice County · listed in 1987 · category: Building · built in 1917, Tudor Revival architecture, by George P. Washburn.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 3 fires within 5 miles of Sterling Free Public Carnegie Library between 2009 and 2018, burning about 10 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 September 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 902 |
| 23 June 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 10 acres | Quivira National Wildlife Refuge | COUNTY LINE II |
| 5 November 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 50 |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Sterling, the town this property stands in, in 62 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 31 hail, 19 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado, 3 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2009 | Hail | Sterling | $550,000 | Golfball sized hail caused widespread damage to roofs across the town. Almost half the homes in town had roofs replaced due to the large hail. |
| May 2004 | Lightning | Sterling | $200,000 | Church, 100 years old, struck twice. The lightning penetrated multiple areas of tin roofing, struck a corner of the southeast tower, dislodging a section of brick, and frying all the electric wiring connected in the tower. The piece of brick dislodged from the southeast tower fell, smashing the wire covering on top of an air conditioning unit. A second piece of brick also fell, damaging part of a storm drain while a third brick was thrown across Broadway Street and into the yard of the library. Of the church equipment damaged, the most expensive, estimated between $125,000 and $150,000, was the organ. Other equipment damaged were the elevator, sound system, lightning and electrical panels, fire control system, furnace, thermostat, mixing board, and an unspecified number of computers. One window in the southeast tower was also shattered. (Report and narrative courtesy of Sterling Bulletin.) |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | $100,000 | Fire department vehicle (apparantly a squad car) blown into ditch. Power lines and power poles downed, including one with transformer resulting in widespread power outages. The high winds teamed with torrential rains to cause roof damage at Sterling High School that resulted in the flooding of the library and one classroom. The town's medical facility sustained damage to one area of roofing (areal extent unspecified) that leaked profusely. |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | $50,000 | The most damaging winds were across the southern part of the county and estimated at 90 miles an hour. The damage path went from Raymond through Alden to Sterling. Numerous tree damage was noted and utility poles were blown over. In Sterling, trees were uprooted and a large shed collapsed. |
| May 1993 | Tornado (F1) | Sterling | $50,000 | This tornado touched down ten miles west of Sterling and damaged several telephone poles and one shed. |
| June 2010 | Flood | Sterling | $25,000 | Rainfall amounts between 2 to 6 inches led to flooding of low lying areas from Lyons south to Sterling. Traffic was reduced to one lane along Kansas Highway 96/14 just north of Sterling. At one point a fuel station on the north end of Sterling was on an island with flooding all around it. The city of Sterling received 6.65 inches of rainfall during the event, causing numerous basements to flood. The Cow Creek, south of Lyons, left its banks later in the week, closing various county road locations along its path. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | $12,500 | Winds estimated around 70 mph knocked down three 70 foot tall cottonwood trees. One of the trees fell on the corner of a residence causing significant damage to the roof and one wall. |
| August 2013 | Flood | Sterling | $10,000 | Flooding continued along Cow Creek. A few homes had water in the basement. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | $6,000 | Trees of 8 to 9 inches in diameter were reported to have blown down. A few power poles were also blown down. At Sterling Lake, a couple of Cottonwood Trees with diameters of 3.5 feet were blown down. |
| July 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Sterling | $5,000 | Although a brief event, the tornado damaged roofing and fencing on a farm. Lyons Daily News contributed to this report. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | $1,000 | Winds were estimated around 60 mph. A few trees were downed in the Sterling area. The Sterling Bulletin contributed to this report. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | $500 | Several tree limbs were downed by high winds. |
| August 2013 | Flash Flood | Sterling | $100 | Numerous reports of street flooding or water over the roads were reported in Sterling and Chase, Kansas. Almost two inches of rain fell in Sterling in a less than a 90 minute period. |
| June 2023 | Heavy Rain | Sterling | - | Twenty four hour total from a COOP observer of 2.05 inches. |
| August 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | Trained spotter reported a measured thunderstorm wind gust of 65 mph. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | A trained spotter reported a fifty to sixty mph quick burst of wind. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | Wind speeds were estimated to be around 60 mph. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | No damage was reported. |
| August 2018 | Heavy Rain | Sterling | - | This was a 24 hour total beginning at 12pm August 13th. The rain led to some nuisance flooding of ditches and low lying farmland. Some ponding of water on the roads were also noted. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | There were no reports of damage. |
| July 2016 | Hail | Sterling | - | The report was relayed via Twitter. |
| April 2015 | Hail | Sterling | - | Law enforcement also estimated winds of 50 to 60 mph. |
| April 2015 | Hail | Sterling | - | Quarter sized hail was reported at many locations across the community. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | Estimated gust reported by Law Enforcement. |
| May 2014 | Tornado (EF0) | Sterling | - | Very brief tornado touchdown. |
| May 2014 | Tornado (EF0) | Sterling | - | Some power flashes were seen. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | Law enforcement estimated the 50 to 60 mph winds. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | No damage was reported. |
| November 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | The strong wind gusts were reported by a storm chaser. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | Winds were estimated between 60 and 70 mph. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | Downed trees and power lines. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | An eight inch diameter tree limb was blown down. |
| March 2000 | Flash Flood | Sterling | - | Highway 96 was flooded 1 to 3 miles south of Sterling where Bull Creek had overflowed as were several county roads. By 1053 PM, the flooding had overspread parts of southeast Rice County with most of the flooding occurring along or near Cow Creek. |
| July 1999 | Flash Flood | Sterling | - | Slow-moving thunderstorms produced rainfalls of 2-3 inches across most of Rice County. Excessive runoff occurred well into the afternoon that resulted in the closure of many roads, especially across east and northeast Rice County. |
| April 2025 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| June 2025 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| August 2021 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| August 2021 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| April 2020 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| June 2019 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| June 2019 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| May 2019 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| June 2017 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| May 2016 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| April 2015 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| May 2014 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| May 2014 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| May 2014 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| September 2006 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| November 2005 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles K. Beckett House | 0.1 miles | 2009 | |
| Shay Building | 0.2 miles | 2010 | |
| Cooper Hall | 0.8 miles | 1974 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 87000969 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Rice County | All 11 listed properties in this county. |
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