Community Difference Maker
Katie Warthen
Nominated by: Phyllis Kelly
At 93, Katie Warthen (pictured right) still smiles as she reminisces about her time spent rebuilding the Emmitsburg Library. Originally from Kentucky, Katie moved to Emmitsburg after high school to help her sister care for her children. In 1952, not long after her move, she met her late husband, John (Bud) Warthen, who worked at the American Store, now known as the Ott House. Katie passed the store daily on her way to the shoe factory where she worked. The couple eventually married and had six children.
During this time, Katie also began volunteering at the Emmitsburg Library. She fondly remembers Susan Chatlos, the wife of a local pastor, taking a deep interest in the library and forming a board of directors. According to the Emmitsburg Dispatch1, the library, established in 1906, is the oldest in Frederick County. However, after the Great Depression, the library struggled due to waning interest. This was when Katie stepped in to volunteer. At that time, the library occupied a small room and was open just two hours a week.
With Katie’s dedication, the library extended their hours of operation. Katie would open the library from 10:00 a.m. to noon, go home and start making dinner, then go back to the library from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., then come home and serve dinner, returning back to the library from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. On Saturday, she would be at the library from 10:00 a.m.-noon. She did this a few days each week, all while taking care of her children. Katie eventually went from a volunteer to becoming an official Frederick County Public Library employee in 1962.
Working closely with the board of directors, Katie helped develop programs that brought more visitors to the library. She recalls organizing a variety of events, including art exhibits, fashion shows, tea parties, tree plantings, and guest speaker presentations.
“We did anything connected to a book,” she recalled. She also established a reading program for children, which ended with a celebration eating watermelon at the park. Her daughter, Karen Adelsberger, remembers pulling their red wagon filled with watermelons to the park for the festivities. Additionally, Katie initiated the popular Celtic music concerts, a tradition that continues to this day, still sponsored by Frederick County Public Libraries. All of these efforts were aimed at increasing library circulation, which the county closely monitored.
Katie also became a fierce advocate for the Emmitsburg Library when the county considered closing it and moving operations to Thurmont. Community members, with Katie at the forefront, asked pointed questions at meetings, such as, “How much money will you save by moving the library?” Katie is quick to credit the board of directors for its support during this period. “I had a good board of about eight women who were very influential in the community. They knew how to speak up and spread the word,” she recalled.
Over her 37½ years with the library, Katie witnessed significant changes in technology, transitioning from paper records to electronic systems. She adapted to each change, learning the new systems as they evolved.
Katie’s passion for preserving local history didn’t stop at the library. She also founded the Emmitsburg Historical Society, which she says was a natural extension of her work. She even added a display case in the library to showcase artifacts from Emmitsburg’s past.
We want to thank Katie for her dedication to the community, which has allowed Emmitsburg to continue to have a library all these years.
If you know someone who has made a difference in our community, please feel free to nominate them by emailing [email protected].
1B. Weeks. History of the Emmitsburg Library, The Emmitsburg Chronicles. November 17, 2006. https://www.emmitsburg.net/
Katie Warthen in a room that previously served as the Emmitsburg Library, before Warthen’s efforts helped it grow to what it is today.
