The History Behind The Female Librarians Who Delivered Books on Horseback in The Kentucky Mountains During the Great Depression

This pack of librarians trapped through some of Kentucky’s most remote areas on unfavorable terrain and weather conditions to deliver books to folks who would otherwise never have access. Though the project only ran from 1935 to 1943, the women involved had a major impact on the state and the history of its people’s education. This is their story.

The association was formed in 1935 as part of the New Deal agency. The plan for the association was to provide work for Americans struggling to find employment during such a tumultuous time. One of the main goals of the WPA was to increase literacy in Kentucky. 

Around the time Roosevelt formed the WPA, the American Library Association had reduced its circulation of books, dropping from around 5-10 books per capita in circulation to around one book per capita in circulation. The WPA needed to start by circulating more books for Kentucky residents. 

One of the biggest issues is the lack of reading materials circulating throughout the region. 

The hope was that with more literate people in the region, the state could begin increasing employment. 

The state had already fallen behind compared to its neighbors in terms of Highways and electricity, and education, food, and economic opportunity were becoming scarce. 

Many Kentucky residents couldn’t read, as they had never had access to books. However, according to Donald C. Boyd, a well-renowned American historian, they had a burning desire to learn. It was essential for these residents to be able to keep up with new changes that were happening in their state and the states around them. 

The fear that these innovations would become a threat to their survival was constantly looming. These new changes would certainly bring economic prosperity to the region, though their inability to read would keep them in an economic trap that would be difficult to escape 

May Stafford, a Kentuckian, conjured a plan in 1913 to solicit money so that she could take books to rural Kentucky residents on horseback. Unfortunately, her project did not last more than a year. A local college had also sent teenagers by horse-drawn wagon up into the mountains in the late 1920s, though the program ended even quicker. Ellen Woodward decided to start up this new project, spearheading the operation at the federal level. 

The librarians looked after these outposts, providing books to carriers, who would deliver them to the locals far up in the mountains.

These carriers took their jobs very seriously and, in many ways, were like the mail carriers of the day. They’d often find themselves traversing through cold winter conditions, crossing cold streams and losing feeling in their frozen feet, latched to the stirrups.

One notable rider, Nan Milan, carried books through an 8-mile radius, taking them throughout the Pine Mountain Settlement School district. This was a boarding school for children in the mountain.

Milan would often joke that her horse had shorter legs on one side compared to the other, allowing her to walk up the steep mountain paths without slipping off the side.

In terms of compensation, the carriers earned around $28 per month, which is close to $495 in modern times. 

Luckily, many Kentuckians obliged, making the project more successful than ever. 

Once they got hold of these precious books and place them in the library collection, they would do all they could to preserve them, which wasn’t such an easy task, given the fact that these makeshift libraries did not have proper storage facilities. 

Librarians often had to repair old books, glue pages back into place, or create new covers altogether. They would also repurpose old Christmas cards as bookmarks so readers wouldn’t dog-ear pages to maintain their places in books. 

Another benefactor from Pittsburgh collected reading materials to send to packhorse librarians. People all over the country were doing everything they could to help their brothers and sisters in the Appalachian mountains. 

People would save pennies for book drives to help replenish book stops. Some people pulled their money and purchased miniature hand-cranked film machines, so Appalachian residents could enjoy media in a different way. 

The librarians would happily accept any reading materials, regardless of the condition. 

Some of the big hits in this regard were the recipe books, which circulated throughout the mountains and became so popular that Kentucky residents began making their own. 

Schoolchildren loved the pack horse program, as many schools in the Eastern Kentucky mountains did not have libraries for them to read, and many of them were far from state public libraries. In fact, many children had never checked out a book in their lives. 

One pack horse Library supervisor said that every child who made his acquaintance would run up to him and scream, “please bring me a book to read!” These children weren’t asking for specific books but instead wanted any kind of book, as they hadn’t read most. 

She noted that one of the most sought-after books was Robinson Crusoe. Because many Appalachian adults were unable to read, illustrated books became the most popular. Many illiterate parents would also have their children read them. 

Many roads into the deep Appalachian Mountains were impossible, and some had to hike many miles to reach their destinations. In one instance, a librarian was forced to hike and 18-mile route after her mule died along the way. 

Librarians would have to earn the trust of the Appalachian people by reading passages from the Bible to them. 

In their minds, the fact that the pack horse librarians could provide access to Bibles helped develop a sense of trust and shed a good light on other materials they were bringing. Many of these people were starving for a chance to learn, and the packhorse Librarians could deliver. 

Unfortunately, the packhorse librarians were not meant to last a lifetime. 

The government had a new effort of putting people back to work during the war, so many WPA projects were tapered off, leaving the people of Appalachia without access to the same quantity of materials for a few years. 

This new bookmobile system offered a much faster and safer way to traverse the rugged mountain towns and deliver a greater number of books to the surrounding communities.

According to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Kentucky public library system at around 75 bookmobiles in 2014, making it the most prevalent bookmobile system in the country.