• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About the TCP
    • Our Towns
      • Ashburn
      • Rebecca
      • Sycamore
    • Community Engagement
    • Foodways
  • Digital Archive
  • Ashburn Driving Tour
  • Road Name Project
  • People of Turner County

Turner County Project

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
Home » Victoria Evans Memorial Library, c. unknown

Victoria Evans Memorial Library, c. unknown

July 28, 2022Ashburn
0

This is a photo of the Victoria Evans Memorial Library when it was located at what is now the Ashburn-Turner County Chamber of Commerce (238 E. College Avenue, Ashburn, GA 31714).

Although the date is unknown for the photo, we can date it before 1987. The new location of the library at 605 North St. in Ashburn, GA has a plaque that says, “In honor of Netta Jacobs Shingler, charter member of Library Board, the property for this library site given by her son Georgia Jacobs Shingler, Sr. May 15, 1987.”

The woman in the photo has been identified as Madge Rouse, former Librarian.


Charity Victoria Evans

(October 4, 1876 – May 19, 1955)

Victoria Evans in a photograph by T.B. Blackshear of Macon, Georgia. Date Unknown. Photo can be found at the Victoria Evans Memorial Library.

Victoria Evans, also commonly called Miss Vic, moved to Ashburn at age 13 with her family. Much like the rest of the Evans family, she was very active in the community. She never married so she devoted her time to the betterment of the area. At an early age, she stepped in as a Sunday School teacher to a class of unruly boys. She was a charter member of the Ashburn Women’s Club and was president for 6 1/2 years. She was Ashburn’s first librarian from 1932-1952 which earned her the honor of the library to be named after her. On an interesting note, according to the 1940 census, her salary for the year was $618.00.

According to her obituary posted in The Wiregrass Farmer on May 26, 1955, “Throughout her life, she shared abundant knowledge and wisdom with others through community work. When the Ashburn Women’s Club was organized in 1921, Miss Vic served for six and one-half years as the club president, undertaking and succeeding in carrying out some of the organization’s most outstanding achievements. She was really the inspiration of Ashburn’s library founded by the Ashburn Women’s club. For twenty years Miss Vic was librarian at the Ashburn public library. In 1954, the library was named Victoria Evans Library in honor of her service to the library and the community. Because of her love for education, she was mainly responsible in building the librarian from a small beginning to a worthy institution, serving often without renumeration… Her most outstanding characteristics was her love for the church, and her wit, charm, and warm friendship which remained bright even in her twilight years.”

Click here to read about the rest of the Evans family and their 1897 Victorian home.


To read more about “The Library Story” by Madge Rouse that is featured in the Turner County Diamond Jubilee book of 1980, click here and go to page 83-86!

Turner County Diamond Jubilee Book
0
Tagged With: Charity Victoria Evans, George Jacob Shingler Jr., Mrs. H.I. Shingler (Netta Jacobs Shingler), Victoria Evans Memorial Library (Ashburn Public Library)

You may also like:

Gordon St sunset

Cedar Drive Walks

Silo at Sunset

11-Layer Caramel Cake

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
Previous Post: « Haw Pond
Next Post: Turner County Courthouse »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search

Turner County Courthouse

The mission of the Turner County Project is to illuminate our local community and cultural practices one photo at a time. To give a permanent photographic presence for future historians, amateur or professional, no matter their interests.

Learn More >

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Newsletter

Subscribe for a monthly digest on the latest of Turner County!

Visit our Digital Archive!

Categories

  • Ashburn
  • Ashburn Driving Tour
  • Foodways
  • Historical Documents
  • People of Turner County
  • Rebecca
  • Road Name Project
  • Sycamore
  • Uncategorized

© ALL content on this website is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this website’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Email the site admin at contact@turnercountyproject.com for specific questions and usage.

Instagram

Turner County Project

turnercountyproject

Preserving small town charm one photo at a time.
Be sure to tag #TurnerCountyProject for a chance to be featured!

Location: 5054 Highway 112, Ashburn, GA Location: 5054 Highway 112, Ashburn, GA
This past weekend, there were exponentially more p This past weekend, there were exponentially more people in Turner County than is typical for the 29th annual Fire Ant Festival.

This year's theme was the Greatest Show ANT (circus themed!) Have you ever been? What theme was your favorite?

Location: E College Avenue near Heritage Park behind Colony Bank in Ashburn, GA
Date: March 29, 2025
Sycamore Elementary’s legendary obstacle course Sycamore Elementary’s legendary obstacle course has been a hot topic lately, stirring up memories and stories from those who took on its challenges. The Turner County Project has gathered photos and personal accounts to bring this piece of local history to life.

Take a trip down memory lane and see why this course left such a lasting impact. 

Read more here: https://turnercountyproject.com/2025/03/01/the-legendary-obstacle-course-of-sycamore-elementary/
Inside what was once the old Mitchell Stewart Hard Inside what was once the old Mitchell Stewart Hardware Building, much has changed over the years. Now home to an event center and gallery on the bottom floor and a stunning loft apartment above, the space has been beautifully transformed. However, one piece of history remains—the old fire doors. Dating back to when the building was Shingler Hardware Co., these doors have a fascinating history written on them, preserving a glimpse of the past within the modern space.

Location: 113 E. College Avenue in Ashburn, GA 
Date: March 1, 2025
For generations, the image of the “little red sc For generations, the image of the “little red schoolhouse” has been a symbol of early education, community values, and the nurturing hands that guide young learners. One such school, the Happy Center Kindergarten, painted in a classic red hue, stands as a testament to this enduring legacy. Though it no longer serves as a school, the little red schoolhouse still stands on James Avenue—now a home—its walls quietly holding the echoes of laughter, learning, and the enduring spirit of education.

Read all about it at the link in our bio.

Photo information
Date: February 16, 2025
Location: 222 James Avenue in Ashburn, GA
Gordon St sunset Location: Gordon St Ashburn, GA Gordon St sunset

Location: Gordon St Ashburn, GA
Date: December 11, 2021
Foggy courthouse on film 🌫️ Location: corner Foggy courthouse on film 🌫️

Location: corner of McLendon St and E College Avenue in Ashburn, GA
Date: December 28, 2024
Copyright © 2025 · Turner County Project · Hearten Made ⟡