 | 1900
Women of Clayton began exploring the idea of establishing
library services in the Clayton community. |
| 1904
Meeting was held with a representative from the New York State
Department of Libraries. The
outcome of this meeting was that $200 was raised with this sum being
matched by the State. The
first library was established as the Town of
Clayton Library
under a charter dated
June 27, 1904
. |
| Clayton
Women’s Civic Club organized to develop library service and to build
a permanent home for the Library. |
| 1904
The Opera House/Town Hall was completed with the Library housed
on the second floor. |
|
July 29, 1904
edition of the “On the St. Lawrence” printed the following:
“By arrangement by which the state shares half of the
expenses, the Townspeople lost no time in getting together a fine
collection of books for the free use of every citizen of the Town.
Shelving and cases are now being placed in the corridors for
their reception.” The
Civic Club funded the local share for the cost of books and materials. |
| 1926
Clayton Women’s Civic Club purchased the
Exchange
Bank
Building
on
Riverside Drive
. The Library was
relocated to this site. Eva
Block was the first Library Director and was succeeded by Mabel
Petrie. |
| 1947
Civic Club sold the building, which housed the Library.
The books were stored in the Odd Fellows Hall on
James Street
, which is now the K of C Hall. The
group bought an 18’ x 36’ World War II Quonset hut and had it
moved to a lot the group had previously purchased on
John Street
. |
| For many years we made our
home in a Quonset hut. The Clayton Civic Club purchased that property;
and while the new building was being built in 1951-1952, the library's
books were stored in the public bathrooms on Riverside
Drive.
|
| 1951
Civic Club deeded the lot on
John Street
to the
Village
of
Clayton
with the provision that it was to be used only as the site for a new
library. |
| 1951
Mr. and Mrs. George Hawn announced that they would construct
the new library. It was to
be 44’ x 50’, one story colonial style building with an estimated
cost of $49,000. |
| 1952
Hawn Memorial Library dedicated. |
| 1977
New addition to the Library housed a Children’s Room, along
with a History Room. |
| 2002
Dedication of $300,000 addition to the Library, along with
renovations to the existing building. This new 1,500
sq. ft. addition made the Hawn Library grow to more than 4,000
sq. ft. With the new addition, the library received "honorable
mention" for Best Building from the New
York Library Association |
