Southworth Library

Located at 24 West Main Street is the Southworth Library. The last will and testament of Jennie McGraw Fiske (1840-1881) provided generous funds to establish a public library in Dryden in memory of her mother Rhoda Southworth McGraw (1819-1847) and grandfather John Southworth (1796-1877). The site was purchased in 1892, and the cornerstone was laid the following year. The library was officially opened in 1894. Built with Ohio sandstone, this Richardsonian Romanesque library was designed by Ithaca architect William H. Miller. Using a style popular for library and public buildings in the 1880s and 1890s, Miller included a bell tower and a vestibule entry facing Main Street. The original portion of the library includes two main reading rooms. The more recent Lincoln Center addition was made possible through the sale of a copy of Abraham Lincoln’s 1864 re-election speech. The library is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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