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Sallie Logan left her mark on region

Saturday, August 23, 2008 11:30 PM CDT

While John Alexander remains the most renowned and famous Logan name in Murphysboro, other members of the Logan clan, including Sarah "Sallie" Oliver Logan, had a significant and lasting impact on the community.

Sallie Oliver was born April 15, 1851, in Pittsburg, Penn., to Sara Ann, a direct descendant of John Hancock, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Sallie and her family moved to the Carbondale area when she was 17.

She graduated from college in Carbondale and taught school in Grand Tower and nearby communities. It is not known how she met Thomas Manning Logan, John A.'s brother, but they shared a love of racehorses.

Sallie and Tom were married August 23, 1873. Sallie was the third Mrs. Thomas Logan and several years his junior. In 1891, Thomas acquired land located at 18th and Walnut and built a large brick residence. The home was not part of the Underground Railroad, as told in local folklore.

Sallie and Tom were members of the First Methodist Episcopal Church. A member of the congregation described Sallie as "neat and dainty and always met you with a smile. She was very positive in her views and usually won out, but she was generally right." Aunt Sallie, as she was known in her later years, was described by those who knew her as strong and high spirited.

After Tom's death in 1907, Sallie took his place as a director of the Murphysboro Electric Railway, Light, Heat & Power Company and the Murphysboro Telephone Company. She also served a secretary and treasurer of the company and was known throughout the community for her business sense and philanthropy.

Sallie died on April 29, 1936 at her residence. In her last will and testament Sallie stated that she wished her residence and property be accepted by the city for use "in perpetuity as a free public library and community and social center for the benefit and common good of the inhabitants of Murphysboro," and that the name "shall always be known as the Sallie Logan Public Library."

The city gratefully accepted Sallie's gift. On Monday, May 2, 1938 the library, in the former Logan home, was opened to the public.

As the years passed, the former Logan home became more crowded and experienced difficulty meeting the demands of the community. Because of stipulations of Sallie Logan's will the only alternative was to demolish the house and replace it with a new building.

On Dec. 15, 1976, the doors of the current 9,851 square foot building opened for business. Original shelving, portraits and memorabilia of the Logan family, and photographs of the house when Sallie was in residence and as it served as the library through the years can be found in the library today.

The library has continued to grow and now has more than 53,000 items available for checkout and lent more then 60,000 items in the last fiscal year. The library offers patrons remote access to the card catalog, online reference titles, and has in-house and Wi-Fi access to the Internet.

Sallie would have been proud.

-This article was submitted by Donella Odum, librarian of the Sallie Logan Public Library in Murphysboro.