Southworth Library (Dryden, New York)
Southworth Library is a historic library building located at Dryden in Tompkins County, New York. It is a 1+1⁄2-story masonry building with a steeply pitched gable roof. It features a prominent bell tower with a Seth Thomas clock and circular windows include carved stone gargoyles. It is a distinctive, small scale example of Eclectic style civic architecture.[2] It was designed with open grid flooring in stack rooms to facilitate air circulation and two reading rooms.[3] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.[1]
Southworth Library | |
![]() Southworth Library, January 2010 | |
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Location | 24 W. Main St., Dryden, New York |
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Coordinates | 42°29′26″N 76°17′58″W |
Area | less than one acre |
Built | 1894 |
Architect | Miller, William Henry; Allington, J. & Son |
MPS | Dryden Village MRA |
NRHP reference No. | 84003195[1] |
Added to NRHP | June 08, 1984 |
The library was founded by Jennie McGraw. It opened in an existing building on South and Main Streets on September 25, 1884[3] and later in a building constructed for the library in 1894. McGraw was the granddaughter of John Southworth of Dryden, who became a millionaire working as a farmer.[4] She used money to create a memorial to her mother and grandfather by establishing a $30,000 trust fund to build and maintain a library in Dryden. On April 22, 1883, the Southworth Library Association was incorporated.[3]
References
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- Karen Glazener (1982). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Southworth Library". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2009-11-10.See also: "Accompanying six photos".
- "Jennie McGraw". Southworth Library. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
- George E. Goodrich (1898). "The McGraw Family in Dryden". Centennial History of Dryden. J.G. Ford. pp. 113–114, 217. Retrieved February 8, 2017.