FUN WITH MAPS ISSUE 2026-042

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (March 13, 2026) – This issue of Fun with Maps reminds us to thank Andrew Carnegie for libraries among other things he gave us.

Carnegie Library

It’s been 125 years since Andrew Carnegie retired and began his life of philanthropy.  He retired from business life in 1901 at age 65 when he sold Carnegie Steel to J.P. Morgan for $480 million.  It became the foundation of U.S. Steel.

Carnegie believed that to die wealthy was “a disgrace.”  His philosophy maintained that the well-to-do were obligated to use their money to serve their communities.  He spent the rest of his life giving away nearly 90% of his money – $350 million – to libraries, universities, and other charitable institutions.

He was particularly noted for his interest in public libraries.  He funded more than 2500 worldwide, earning him the nickname of “patron saint of public libraries”.

Carnegie was truly a rags-to-riches story; his first job, that of a bobbin boy at the local mills, paid only $1.20 a week.

He emigrated to the US from Scotland and died in Massachusetts in 1919, so here is Ruth White’s pictorial map of the state from 1938.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.