Sidney Lanier was a Georgia poet known for “The Song of the Chattahoochee” and “The Marshes of Glynn.” He also wrote a novel, Tiger-Lilies, about his experiences during the Civil War, where he contracted tuberculosis, which would take his life at an early age. Lanier died in 1881, just outside Tryon where he was staying to try to recover from his illness.

His widow, Mary, stayed on in Tryon with their sons. When a group of civic-minded ladies met in 1890 over tea to discuss the fledgling Town of Tryon’s need for a library and named their group after the late poet, Mary Lanier offered to donate the first books – volumes of Sidney Lanier’s poetry – to what was then a single bookcase that was moved throughout the town.

The ladies of the Lanier Club were able to raise enough money to construct in 1905 the building in which the Lanier Library, one of only 16 membership libraries left in the United States, is still housed today.

Lamar said in a recent email that Lanier “was very taken” with Tryon, and that she looks forward to visiting the area.

The free program will begin at noon, and the public is invited. The Lanier Library is located at 72 Chestnut St. in Tryon. For more information, call 828-859-9535.

– article submitted by Gina Malone