In 1896, Colonel Delancey Floyd-Jones, a career army officer, talked with Coleman Williams, husband of his cousin Sarah Floyd-Jones, about donating a small parcel of land east of Grace Church so a public library could be built. He paid Williams $60 for the plot and contracted with a carpenter to build a wooden building facing Merrick Road for $530.10. Relatives provided tables, bookshelves, fireplace implements, and $230.90 to purchase books.
In 1907, electricity was installed in the building, replacing candles that were used originally. A janitor was employed to maintain the building, which had no water, for $4 per month. A resident could purchase a key for $10 annually that allowed access to the library at any time. In 1932, Edward Floyd-Jones left the library $2,500 in his will. The library was a separate corporation and money provided by several other relatives over the years was invested.
In, 1952 trustees of the rapidly expanding public
school system created a Floyd-Jones Library Committee to investigate how the
building could best serve the community. Among the proposals were:
Expand the building as the centerpiece of a public
library system;
Keep the building as is and build other library
buildings in the area;
Demolish the building and replace it with newer,
larger buildings.
Central to these discussions were two important
considerations. The first was the legal issue of whether there could be two
separate libraries. The New York Secretary of State ruled there could not be,
because the state could not pay annual subsidies for two libraries in one
school district. The other issue was the library’s endowment. After many
meetings and much discussion, the Floyd-Jones Library Trustees decided to keep
the library open and retain control of its endowment.
1969 – Students continued to come to the library, as
evidenced by a file of cards signed by their parents, pledging to return books
that were loaned or face fines. Fewer residents were using the building,
however, so a Friends of the Library group was formed, in an attempt to attract
more community participation. Members paid one dollar annually and could attend
quarterly meetings. The Friends held bake sales, raffles and other
fund-raisers. The group lasted about fifteen years, and had as many as 300
members, but petered out by the mid-1980s.
In 1984, the Historical Society of the Massapequas was
interested in moving an 1870 servants’ cottage, located behind the Bar Harbour
Library, close to Old Grace Church. It was vacant and deteriorating rapidly.
After several discussions, the Library Trustees agreed to lease a portion of
their property north of the building and the Society moved the cottage across
Merrick Road in July 1986.
Two years later, Mrs. Paul Floyd-Jones Bonner, the
last Floyd-Jones family member involved directly with the library, had resigned
as Chairperson. Eugene Bryson, a Trustee
as well as a Vestryman in Grace Church, agreed to become the Chairperson and
set out repurposing the library. He first had the rear storage room demolished
and rebuilt to look like the rest of the library. He also applied for historic
designation, eventually earning Town of Oyster Bay recognition. He retained the
services of a professional librarian, to review the holdings and dispose of any
duplicates or books no longer considered useful. Finally, he led the trustees
to designate the library as a historic building.
The Floyd-Jones Library remains today as an historic
structure. It is staffed by volunteers and is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays
from 10 until 1pm.
Source:
“125 Years of Service: The
Floyd-Jones Free Library.” Historical Society of the Massapequas,
www.massapequahistoricalsociety.org/blog/125-years-of-service-the-floyd-jones-free-library.
Accessed 27 Oct. 2024
