Sarah Poage Caldwell Butler

Sarah Poage Caldwell Butler (August 21, 1892–December 2, 1983) was a librarian and civic leader known for her work in establishing a public library in Roanoke, Virginia.

Career When Butler returned to Virginia after being a children's librarian in New York City for several years, she became interested in forming a public library to serve the city. She was part of a group of many civic organizations, including the Woman's Civic Betterment Club, which formed the Roanoke Library Association in 1920 with Butler as its first president. A month later they had formed a plan to renovate a vacant mansion to house the city's new library. The city agreed with the plan but required the organization to raise $30,000 to provide the books and library furnishings. The Roanoke Public Library formally opened in May 1921 with Butler as its first president, speaking at the opening. Later that same year, working with civic leaders Lucy Addison, Dr. Arthur L. James, and Dr. L. Downing, Butler helped the library open a branch in the Gainsboro community for Roanoke's Black citizens who had also been part of the fundraising campaign for the library. Her husband joined the war effort; he worked first in Brooklyn and then was re-assigned to Roanoke.

The couple had two sons, William Wilson Samuel Butler III and Manley Caldwell Butler, who served in the House of Representatives from 1972 to 1983.

Death and legacy Butler died on December 2, 1983, and was buried in Roanoke's Evergreen Cemetery.

The Roanoke Public Library board commissioned a bronze sculpture as a memorial to her, which was installed at the library in Elmwood Park in 1988.