Historic Englewood Florida
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1505748
Page 12 www.yoursun.com By BYLINE 1 BYLINE 2 Englewood's two libraries — the Elsie Quirk Library in Sarasota County and the Englewood Charlotte Library in Charlotte County — have been popular places in the communi- ty since they fi rst opened more than 60 years ago. The Englewood Charlotte Library is part of a campus named for Joseph A. Tringali, a Charlotte County commissioner who lived in Rotonda West and represented Englewood on that board for three terms, deciding to retire in 1988. So who was Elsie Quirk, and why is a library named for her? Wellington and Elsie Quirk came to Englewood in the 1940s. Wellington Quirk was a pioneer in aviation and held several chemical and engineering patents. He and Elsie bought property off West Dearborn Street in Englewood. Part of it eventu- ally became the site of the Elsie Quirk Public Library, which opened in 1961. But the history of libraries goes back farther than that. Longtime resident Larry Evans wrote about the history of Englewood's libraries for the Englewood Sun, now The Daily Sun, in 2012. Evans based his story on the library's own history, compiled by librarian Cris Walton and other staff members: "The history of the Elsie Quirk Public Library goes back to the 1920s, when women's clubs in Sarasota County began providing places residents could obtain books to read. "In Englewood, that eff ort was undertaken by the Lemon Bay Mother's Club, which in 1926 changed its name to the Lemon Bay Woman's Club. Who was Elsie Quirk and why is the library named for her? SUN FILE PHOTO BY CHRIS PORTER The Elsie Quirk Library in 2018. PHOTO PROVIDED BY SARASOTA COUNTY The Quirks, Elsie and Wellington, meet with Lois Potter during the construction of the library in Englewood. The library would be named for Elsie Quirk. PHOTO PROVIDED BY NANCY WILLE Wellington Quirk in Englewood, 1956. QUIRK QUIRK | 13A