Margaret Reaney
Memorial Library & Museum

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History

The Margaret Reaney Memorial Library was a gift to the Village of St. Johnsville by local textile manufacturer, Joseph  H. Reaney. Built in 1909, with a later addition in 1936, the gracious tapestry  brick and gray granite building sits amid its own lovely park on a quiet side street. The building is dedicated in  memory of  Mr. Reaney's beloved mother, Margaret Julia Reaney.     

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Joseph and his mother returned to her hometown of Utica, New York, following her husband's death from tuberculosis in 1870.  The senior Mr. Reaney had been a member of the 5th New York Duryee Zouaves during the Civil War.  A statue commemorating the soldiers and sailors of the war is dedicated to his memory and is located on the south lawn.  

Joseph H. Reaney came to St. Johnsville in 1892 with a nest egg of $600.  He had been a traveling salesman, and one day asked himself, "If I can sell other people's products, why not sell my own?'  From this soul-searching question came a vision, and with abundant mental and physical energy the Reaney Industrial Dream became a reality.  After arriving in St. Johnsville, Mr. Reaney purchased a small plant on North Division Street, where he started with six knitting machines.  He managed to survive the 1893 financial panic of the nation, and in fact, even managed to expand.  In 1895, in company with Clarence Taylor, the Lion Mill on Lion Avenue was built.  The association with Mr. Taylor was short lived, and Mr. Reaney began for himself in 1897, manufacturing in the Petit Bijou Plant on South Division Street.  In 1900 be built the Royal Mill on New Street.  Two years later his vision extended to Herkimer where be bought the Gem Mill, and incorporated under the name of Royal Gem Mill Co. 

In 1906 he took over the Union Mills at Hudson and Mechanicville, New York.  Four years later he purchased to more mills at Catskill and another one in Herkimer.  Mr. Reaney now had eight mills with a production of 50,000 dozens of undergarments per week.  The Reaney Dream had come true. 

His endless energy elevated him to one of the nation's leaders in the textile trade.  He not only had a natural ability and genius for mass production, but was sought after as an organizer and financier.  He put these strengths to use as consultant in various enterprises.  During World War I he was a dollar-a-year man with with war industries board. 

The development of the library dates well back to the last century.  It came from the determination of a small, but devoted, band of women who gave of their time and substance in the matter of promoting a cultural atmosphere which they felt would benefit the community.  In 1900 a society was organized among the the women of the village, known as the Book Club,  which was soon changed to the Century Club.  The purpose of this organization was to purchase books and eventually pool their purchases for the benefit of the public, in a reading room.   From this grass roots effort  the Margaret Reaney Memorial Library was developed.

 On entering the building one is immediately aware that this is not "just" a library. A well maintained original tin ceiling has  recently been repainted. Softly aglow in creamy white and trimmed in pale rose, the ceiling evokes memories of days gone by when individuals spent hours contemplating the far away places and ideas described in books. 

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Services

The Reaney Library provides materials, services, and programs in diverse formats to assist the community obtain information in meeting their personal, educational, and professional needs.   The collection includes adult and juvenile fiction and non-fiction in both regular and large print, periodicals, read-along kits, audio books, videos and music CDs.  As a member of the Mohawk Valley Library System, additional materials are available via interlibrary loan from a network of approximately 60 libraries.  The Catalog can be accessed on the World Wide Web at: http://pac.sals.edu/polaris.  

Individuals may obtain a library card by showing appropriate identification.  A parent must be present at the time of registration for children under 15 to obtain a card.  Fines are assessed at the rate of 10 cents per day.  Internet, photocopy and fax services are also available.

In co-operation with Herkimer County BOCES the library is a site for the National External Diploma Program.  If you are at least 21 years old and would like to earn a high school diploma, this program may be for you.  EDP is a competency-based assessment program that credentials adults who have acquired their high school level abilities through life experience. EDP allows adults to demonstrate these abilities in a series of simulations that parallel job and life situations.  It also gives them the opportunity to be evaluated by their own performance instead of by comparison with others, to take responsibility for acquiring instruction through existing community resources, and to demonstrate mastery of the 65 required competencies, including an occupational or specialized skill, without stepping inside a classroom. 

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Our Museum

In addition to providing traditional library services, Margaret Reaney Memorial Library also is home to a remarkable museum. The Reaney Library houses an outstanding collection of fine art, sculpture, and historically important memorabilia. Spanning many years, from the pre-Revolutionary to the Present time, the exhibits reflect the rich cultural heritage of the Mohawk Valley.

The library has a collection of over 50 paintings by European and American artists.  These paintings are historically important to the region as they document local history and remain part of a strong collection of material culture amassed by one of the community's most important industrial families.  

The Memorial Room, a gracious example of late Victorian interior design, provides an appropriate setting for the sculpture collection.  Several 19th century French sculptors, active in France between the end of the age of Napoleon and the start of World War I are represented.

Of particular note in the Memorial Room, is a splendid Tabriz Palace Carpet measuring a majestic 37' long! The carpet features a midnight-blue field with an all over pattern of interlaced bands, flowering plants, flower-filled vases, perched birds and cloud bands, within a conforming floral border and guards. Its tremendous size combined with its breathtaking beauty truly makes this a "magic" carpet!

The entire downstairs of the building is devoted to special collections.  Exhibit areas include an early 20th century Doctor's Office, Colonial Farm and Home Implements (featuring a wonderful example of a Mohawk Valley Hog Plow), fine china and glassware, the Erie Canal, the Civil War, ceramics, and the Hartley Collection.

The Hartley exhibit of military artifacts features a regimental button display.  The exhibit also includes decorative powder horns and over 50 beautifully rendered powder horn sketches.

We look forward to your visit.

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Genealogy and Local History

The library is home to an internationally recognized collection of genealogy and local history materials.   While the main strength of the collection focuses primarily on the history of the Palatine Germans, it is also reflective of the history of the Mohawk Valley, and in a broader respect, the history of New York state.

The collection includes county histories, church records, cemetery records, scrapbooks, and individual family histories.   Also available is the St. Johnsville Enterprise and News newspaper (now the Courier-Standard-Enterprise) dating from 1901.  An obituary, marriage, and birth index has been developed and is continually maintained for the paper.  In addition, during the 1920's, 30's, and 40's, the Enterprise and News routinely published genealogical columns about many individual Mohawk Valley families and related local history articles.

An extensive collection of general history books devoted to the American Revolution, the Spanish-American War, the War of 1812, the Civil War and World War I is also on hand. 

The Genealogy and Local History   Collections are available for on-site research during regular library hours.    Mail requests are also welcome.  For this service there is a $10 non-refundanble initial search fee.  Once the search has been completed, you will be advised of the additional photocopy charges plus postage.  Whether you research on-site or by correspondence, photocopies are $.25 per page.   

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Staff

Dawn Lamphere Capece- Director

Marta M. Zimmerman- Assistant Director, Local History & Genealogy

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e-mail: mrml@telenet.net

Member of the Mohawk Valley Library System

Last updated: November 14, 2006

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