A library can provide more than just books. It often proves to be a wonderland of adventure, learning and exploring across all ages.
One such place — The Dunbar-Jupiter Hammon Public Library on Blount Street in Dunbar — recently celebrated it's 50th anniversary.
Janice Cass is the president of Friends of Dunbar-Jupiter Hammon Public Library Inc.
"There’s a little sign outside this library right now that says that the library is the beginning of an adventure. And it is, because it’s a world of books and a world of new material, places you’ve never been and things you haven’t seen," Cass said.
Dunbar Library celebrates 50 years
During the days of segregation and the years following, the need and vision to have a library in the Dunbar community was clear.
“There was no library out here for our children. They had to go all the way downtown," Forestene Ward said. She was part of the original team of women living in the Dunbar area who made it a mission to bring a library to the community.
“And we saw a need ... our children needed a library so they could go to it and be comfortable getting out their homework," Ward said.
Mary Rice was the visionary to bring a library to the Dunbar neighborhood. She’s described as a dedicated educator who loved books and loved sharing with children her passion for learning.
“Oh, she was a sweetheart. It wasn’t nothing for us to walk in there and see her sitting, two kids sitting out here on the floor, two kids sitting beside her and she reading to them. This is the kind of woman she was. She was a great woman," Ward said.
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The Dunbar Jupiter Hammon Library in Fort Myers is housed in the building that used to be the gym of the Dunbar Community School.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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Emma Castaneda watches as her daughter Olivia, 3, plays with bubbles during story time at the Dunbar Jupiter Hammon Library on Friday, May 17, 2024, in Fort Myers.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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Elizabeth Melgar, a youth services associate at Dunbar Jupiter Hammon Library in Fort Myers works with the children during story time at the library on Friday, May 17, 2024.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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Jerry Ridley, 4, blows bubbles during story time at the Dunbar Jupiter Hammon Library in Fort Myers on Friday, May 17, 2024.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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The Dunbar Jupiter Hammon Library in Fort Myers is housed in the building that used to be the gym of the Dunbar Community School.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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Forestene Ward has lived in Fort Myers since 1950. She is one of the women who brought a library to the Dunbar Community. She wanted a safe, comfortable place for children in the community to read and do their homework.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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The Dunbar Jupiter Hammon Library in Fort Myers is housed in the building that used to be the gym of the Dunbar Community School.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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The Mary L. Rice African American Collection at the Dunbar Jupiter Hammon Library in Fort Myers.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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The Mary L. Rice African American Collection at the Dunbar Jupiter Hammon Library in Fort Myers.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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The Dunbar Jupiter Hammon Library in Fort Myers is housed in the building that used to be the gym of the Dunbar Community School. It has a large area with children’s books.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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The Mary L. Rice African American Collection at the Dunbar Jupiter Hammon Library in Fort Myers.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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The Mary L. Rice African American Collection at the Dunbar Jupiter Hammon Library in Fort Myers.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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The original building for the Dunbar-Hammon Public Library, which opened in 1974.
Lee County Library System
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A portrait of Mary Rice, painted by her husband, hangs in the Dunbar Jupiter Hammon Library in Fort Myers. Rice was a member of the committee that brought the library to Dunbar, and many of the books in her collection were used to start the library.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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The African American Collection at the Dunbar Jupiter Hammon Library in Fort Myers was named for Mary Rice. Rice was a member of the committee that brought the library to Dunbar, and many of the books in her collection were used to start the library.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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The Dunbar Jupiter Hammon Library in Fort Myers is housed in the building that used to be the gym of the Dunbar Community School. It has a large area with children’s books.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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Forestene Ward has lived in Fort Myers since 1950. She is one of the women who brought a library to the Dunbar Community. She wanted a safe, comfortable place for children in the community to read and do their homework.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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Nature Ridley, 2, laughs while at story time at the Dunbar Jupiter Hammon Library on Friday, May 17, 2024, in Fort Myers.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
The Dunbar library originally opened in 1974 with a modest collection of 500 books, mostly from the collection of Mary Rice. In 1996 the library’s collection grew to over 22,000 items and moved to a larger and current location — the former gymnasium of the original Dunbar High School.
Cass shares about what the next 50 years might look like for the library.
“The next 50 years is going to be a larger building. That’s going to have a separate areas for young kids and teens. So they can be as loud as they need to be to enjoy themselves while they’re learning. Have a variety of materials available. Who knows in 50 years what kind of materials will be available then," Cass said.
No matter the material of those books, the light and love of learning continues to illuminate the way for all those want to explore.
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