Tate Memorial Library

Tate Memorial Library is located in the village of Blanchard, in western Isabella County. The library has been located in the Rolland Township Hall since it moved into that location in 2003. CRDL acquired the building in 2013 and completed renovations in May 2014.

In July 2014, the library was renamed the Tate Memorial Library in honor of Dr. Merze Tate. Dr. Tate was born in 1905 and was the grandchild of the first African-American settlers in Mecosta County.  She was the youngest and only African-American graduate in her high school class and was elected class valedictorian. She was the first African-American to graduate from Western Michigan Teachers College, the first African-American woman to attend the University of Oxford, and the first to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard. She was an advisor to General Eisenhower, a college professor and dean for Barber-Scotia College, Bennett College, Morgan State College, and Howard University.  She traveled the world twice and was a filmmaker for the U.S. State Department.