HISTORY OF THE SCHWENKFELDER LIBRARY AND HERITAGE CENTER
O.S. Kriebel and the Carnegie Library
Rev. Oscar Schultz Kriebel,
Headmaster of Perkiomen School
The Perkiomen School Gymnasium
The Carnegie Library
on the campus of Perkiomen School
Howard Kriebel in 1907 resigned as curator of the collection and his cousin, the Reverend Oscar Schultz Kriebel, Headmaster of Perkiomen School, became the collection’s new custodian. At the beginning of Rev. Kriebel’s custodianship, the collection was being stored in the school’s gymnasium, and Reverend Kriebel’s main challenge was to find a permanent building in which to store the collection.
In 1906 he had secured a matching grant from Andrew Carnegie for $20,000 for a new library building. In the negotiations between Andrew Carnegie and donors, it was agreed that " one purpose of the library building was to provide floor space and a fireproof section or vault for the housing, use and management of the collection of historical materials being formed by the Schwenkfelder Church." By 1910, however, Rev. Kriebel needed to raise over $60,000 as the school’s rising debt reached $38,000. With contributions coming from school trustees, alumni and church members, the money was raised and the new library building was dedicated on November 20, 1913.