This coin is an item from the Ritzville Public Library.
It is part of the library's Cornerstone collection - a collection of items extracted from the library's cornerstone during renovations for its 100-year birthday celebration last summer.
The large reddish coin struck me as odd. It was minted with the words "ONE PENNY" on one side a strange logo surrounded by inititals. It didn't appear to be any official type of currency. After a bit of research I found that the penny is a "Chapter Penny," probably for the local Masonic lodge that laid the cornerstone. The logo is the Masonic Keystone. According to this website "the penny is simply a symbol of the reward of faithful labor." Apparently pocket pieces, like the one described in this 1893 New York Times article, were quite popular as souvenirs for large events and among fraternal organizations.
[caption id="attachment_116" align="alignright" width="251" caption="1907 Cornerstone Laying Ceremony, Ritzville Public Free Library."]
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When the small library was constructed in 1907 a time capsule was placed in a cornerstone of the building, a metal box with old letters and documents pertaining to the building of the library, a few old coins, newspapers, and more. Various articles in the newspapers found in the time capsule documented the cornerstone laying ceremony.
Governor Albert E. Mead attended the celebration. The library was built in 1907 with money donated from Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie funded the building of thousands of "Carnegie Libraries" around the United States, including 44 in Washington state.
The coins are on display in the Ritzville Library and are included in Ritzville Heritage, part of the Washington State Library's Washington Rural Heritage collection.
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