ABC 50 spoke with Flower Memorial Librarian, Ashley Pickett, Librarian I, about the library’s History.
Flower Memorial Library (WWTI/Gene Morse)
In the video above you can listen to Pickett give a brief history lesson about the 30th Governor of New York Roswell P. Flower and his Daughter, Emma Flower Taylor.
Flower Memorial Library is named after Roswell P. Flower. His daughter Emma Flower Taylor donated the money to start the library. Taylor had two stipulations, one of the biggest ones was naming the library after her father.
Flower was born in Theresa on August 7, 1835. His father passed when he was eight years old. He had many “odd jobs” to help contribute to the family after that. Eventually, he became a postmaster. Flower married Sarah M. Woodruff in 1859 and then took over Henry Keep’s estate and later moved to New York City.
In New York City Flower opened a banking house incorporating his family. His large role in the business world before stepping into politics and gave him a leg up. He held a position as a congressman before being elected as Governor of New York in 1892.
When Taylor decided to help out and build the library, she wanted to honor her father.
“ One of the things that I love about Roswell is the fact that he raised his daughter, ” said Pickett. “ She (Taylor) herself laid a cornerstone in the early 1900s, 1903, I believe it was. And back then that was a huge feat for a woman of her standing. To have a part in the construction of the building. To have a say in building something so grand, it was fantastic for her to have that role. ”
Pickett continued “ We want to keep her impact and her power and her enthusiasm in mind to everything that we do today and honor her presence along with Roswell’s as we carry their traditions forward into the future .”
Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library is located at 229 Washington St. in Watertown. Hours of operation are Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Thursday & Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The library is closed on Sunday.
What local history should we cover next? Tell us what local history you want to know! The North Country is saturated with Historical Significance and Information and we want to know what you’re most curious to learn about! Fill out the form below and come back to InformNNY for more Local History and news!
Submit a form. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Local News
Comments / 0