Born in 1903, Mrs. Laura Washington Hardy, a native Kinstonian, graduated from Kinston College and Alboin Academy at Franklinton. She also studied library science at Shaw University and Elizabeth City State Teachers College.

This education primed her to become the first Black librarian of the Kinston Public Library, Colored Branch. This new building filled a gap in the community, providing a space for Black residents to gather, read, and learn in Lenoir County. It was a small wooden building and opened October 5, 1938 as a library for Black people. Two rooms were used for books, while the third stored coal and wood for the heater. The branch opened with 500 books and 300 borrowers.”

Mrs. Hardy hosted a Golden Book Club and Story Hours, drawing in younger patrons who continued to visit the library into adulthood. She also curated special exhibits, held reading contests, organized talks and presentations, and wrote articles for the “colored” section of the Kinston Free Press. All of these efforts resulted in a boom in library patronage and a need to expand to a new facility. The East Branch Library opened in 1961.

Mrs. Hardy remained the head librarian until her retirement in 1967 after twenty-nine years of dedicated service. She also served her community through her membership in several professional and civic organizations, including the North Carolina Library Association, the Banneker Literary and Social Club, the Household of Ruth, the Red Cross, Home Nursing, and First Missionary Baptist Church.

She passed away on April 9, 1968, at the age of 65, leaving behind a powerful legacy. The sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha purchased the original library building in 1990 to use as its education center. Mrs. Hardy’s daughter, Theon, was also a member of this sorority, and several pages of the scrapbook document the sorority’s purchase and transformation of the space.

Legacy:
-In 2024, the African American Historical Commission of Lenoir County honored her with a historical marker unveiling ceremony at the East Branch location (now the AKA Sorority headquarters).

-Her life and work are documented in a scrapbook preserved by the Neuse Regional Library system.

Image and narrative source: DigitalNC
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Note: Not surprised at all, we feel we need to mention this..... as we searched for information about Mrs. Laura Washington Hardy we came across the History of the Neuse Reginal Libraries website, and the only mention of Mrs. Hardy and the Black citizens of that area within a very lengthy detailed library history about the white American citizens was this:

"As segregation was still common in the south at this time, the Library opened up a second location on North Independent Street to provide services to black patrons, and Laura Washington Hardy was hired as the librarian at this location."
source: neuse library dot org

We are continually reminded why we at I Remember Our History® - The G. C, and Frances Hawley Museum® - North Carolina Black History  have been called to do what we do.