He entered practice with Dr. Lancaster, but Lancaster soon abandoned his practice, leaving the 21 year old Clark to handle the practice alone. He practiced medicine for 13 years in Lockhart and during this time a mutual love between Dr. Clark and the town grew.
In 1896, Dr. Clark left Lockhart to study in London and Vienna. In 1897 he returned to Texas to set up practice in San Antonio in his new specialty -- ear, nose and throat. While practicing in San Antonio, Dr. Clark became very ill. He went to New York for surgery. On his way to New York he came through Lockhart to see his old friends. In New York his condition was pronounced incurable and he left to return to the only home he had known in New Orleans.
On his death bed, with Mr. Purcell and Miss Young by his side he dictated a will specifying that the citizens of Lockhart should have a library and lyceum. His will left $10,000 to the people of Lockhart, of which $6,000 was to be used for construction, $1,000 to buy books and the remainder, was to be put in a trust to maintain the building and purchase new books.
The Library served as cultural center for the city of Lockhart for many years. President William Howard Taft has spoken from the stage in the library and Dorothy Sarnoff has performed here, remarking to her audience, 'If you are bored with my performance tonight, you can just reach over and grab a good book to read.'
Many local community groups and organizations held theatrical productions, recitals and concerts in the library. The Local Community concert group held seasonal programs in the building until 1956. Many local residents fondly recall the days of performing on the stage in the library.
The library is a two story, Greek cross plan and is a Classical Revival building of red brick with limestone trim, with four projecting pediment pavilions forming the arms. The main facade facing east is divided into three bays by pilasters and contains a central stained glass memorial window classically framed by pilasters and a round keystone arch. The southeast entrance has double doors with a mullet-lighted fanlight also framed by pilasters and entablature and supports the central dome.
The architecture of the building has been a source of curiosity to many professional architects, and the library is visited annually by many amateur and professional architects, including regular visits by architecture majors from theUniversity ofTexas.
Inside the building the pressed tin ceiling, woodwork, lighting fixtures and perimeter shelving are all original to the building.
When built, the library had auditorium style seating in the center of the building and on the balcony. In 1956 the seating was removed to allow for the expansion of the book collection.
Today the library continues to serve as a focal point for community activities and is the major source of informational and pleasure reading for Lockhart and Caldwell County residents.
While a historical treasure in the community, the Library operates as a modern, efficient and functioning Library serving the information and recreational needs of Lockhart and Caldwell County citizens. The Library provides the use of six Internet computers as well as public access computers with word processing and printing capabilities. The Library has a multitude of CD-ROM databases to coincide with about 135 magazine/newspaper subscriptions. Today the Library can easily obtain any required book not carried in the existing collection through the use of the Inter-Library Loan.
Click here to view the Dr. Eugene Clark Library's website.
Named after Byrd Lockhart, who in the 1830s received land along Plum Creek as partial payment for his surveying work for the Mexican government, Lockhart was incorporated with a mayor-council government in 1852. Lockhart became a major northward converging point for the Chisholm Trail and, as such, developed as a regional trading center.
The discovery and development of oil fields in the 1920s saw prosperity and steady population growth for Lockhart and the surrounding communities in Caldwell County. Shallow field exploration continues in Caldwell County today.