Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie donated millions of dollars to cities across the world to build libraries. One such donation was made to Jackson. The present Carnegie Center for Arts and History, located in downtown Jackson, opened in 1903 as the Jackson Free Library, the town's first library, financed by Jackson City Council funds and a matching $30,000 grant from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. In 1968, the Carnegie was replaced by the newer larger Jackson-Madison County Library and was allowed to fall into disrepair from 1968 to 1987.

The Carnegie has been restored through the efforts of the Jackson Recreation and Parks Department to its original beauty and usefulness to serve the city and surrounding area as an art and history center.