Amelia S. Givin

Amelia Steele Givin (October 31, 1845 – October 5, 1915) (later Mrs. Amelia S. Beall) was a businesswoman, philanthropist, and world traveler from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Although her philanthropic ventures were numerous and spanned her lifetime, Givin's most discernible contribution was her funding of the Amelia S. Givin Free Library in her hometown of Mount Holly Springs, Pennsylvania.

Early life and family Givin grew up with her family near Mount Holly Springs, Pennsylvania, where her father, Robert Givin, and her uncle owned a paper mill. However, in 1865, when Amelia was about age 20, the Givin's house burned down and they moved to Carlisle, PA. Robert Givin was a respected and prosperous businessman and banker, acting as president of both the Mount Holly Paper Mill and the Farmers' Bank in Carlisle. Besides Amelia, Robert and his wife Sara (Gibson) Givin bore four sons, David, James, Samuel, and Robert. In her later years, Givin frequented the library she had helped to form. Givin also left provisions for her household employees and many family members and friends after her death. To bring improvement to populations with little access to books, free public libraries, often traveling libraries or other informal libraries, such as those located in women's clubhouses, abounded between 1870 and 1930 through the work of civic-minded women. The library of Ms. Givin was far from informal, however. Begun in 1889 and dedicated on January 2, 1890, it had the modern conveniences of electric lights and hot water heating, as well as a fashionable Romanesque Revival structure and ornate interior design. The library took close to $500,000 to build and Givin also provided an endowment.

Marriage On June 2, 1892, a few years after the library opened, the 46-year-old Givin married Walter Beall of Cumberland, Maryland. To start off their honeymoon, they rode a special car on the Cumberland Valley Railroad on the first leg of their trip to Europe together. They never had any children. Walter died in 1905 and Amelia died close to ten years later at age 69. They were both buried at Ashland Cemetery in Carlisle.