Manhattan Beach library celebrates 100th birthday
PHOTO BY ANNA MAVROMATICookies sporting the Manhattan Beach Library seal were available for visitors Saturday in celebration of the library’s centennial. It started with what now might be considered a women’s book club. In 1910, the Neptunian Society, a women’s club involved in community and philanthropic work, began taking turns reading a romantic adventure book to each other called “Cardillac” by Robert Barr. This was two years before the city of Manhattan Beach was founded and the undeveloped land was made up mostly of beachside vacation homes. Jan Dennis, former Manhattan Beach mayor and a historian, who has written six books on the history of Manhattan Beach, said that the Neptunian Society soon decided to build a library. At the time, the population in Manhattan Beach was at about 600, and for ten cents a piece locals could rent from a collection of 225 books. “They were just so intent on building a community that was unique and Manhattan Beach may have faults one place or another but it’s a unique town,” Dennis said. “It’s remained basically a family town, even more so today.” Although the library is celebrating its centennial, Dennis said that technically it’s even older…
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