Our History

Today, anybody who lives, works, studies, owns property or pays taxes in the State of New York and has verifiable proof of the same can obtain a borrower's card at no cost from the Fulton Public Library. Children under the age of 13 can obtain a card with parental consent as soon as they can legibly write their first and last name. There is a small fee for the replacement of lost cards, the late return of materials, the use of photo-copy, printer and fax machines and to purchase items from our on-going lobby book sale; otherwise, all programs and services are provided free of charge.

Originally supported as a free library through public subscriptions and grants, the Fulton Public Library was Chartered in 1895 by the New York State Education Department. It was housed in the old Fourth Street High School and contained books from the High School and Falley Seminary and was used by students only.

In November 1898 it moved to a room in the Phillips Block at #7 South First Street (above the W.J. Watson drug store). The long, narrow second floor room was lined with bookshelves and scattered with potted plants and had large windows at each end. Mrs. Helen Emens served as librarian. The library was free to the public; children were allowed to borrow one book a week. The collection numbered over 4,000 books in 1900, and circulated around 25,000 books in the same year.

In 1902, after many requests, a letter received from Andrew Carnegie said if the city would find a suitable site and pledge at least $1,500 a year, he would donate $15,000 for the building. Finally, a 120' by 50' site next to the river at 160 South First Street was agreed upon. Syracuse architects and D. E. Wadsworth, a local construction firm, built it.

An old stone building which had been housing for canal workers was demolished, with the stone being used for the library's foundation. Stone from this abandoned quarry was also used in the construction of Auburn Prison. Cornerstone laying took place in June 1905; Mrs. Emens directed moving and opening in February 1906. A gentleman named Marlon H. Brando, not the actor, also assisted with the library. The building was made of native stone, Gouverneur marble, litholite, and brick, with a slate roof. The interior woodwork is quartered oak with oak and tile floors.

The Carnegie Building was designated an Oswego County Historical Landmark in 1985, and was added to the State and National Registers of Historic Places in 1999.

The Children's Room was originally located in the Cuming’s Memorial Alcove which now serves as the Reference Room. The current Children's Room area was a meeting and entertainment site when the building opened. In September 1927, the children's Room moved to the small room downstairs. Miss Geraldine Foster was in charge of this room for over 36 years. Eventually, the Children's Department moved to the large downstairs area; the small meeting room was renovated in 1982.

A local doctor, Henry deForest, designed the Library's unique bookplate in 1930, basing it on area Native American lore. Although the bookplate recently had hiatus of a few years recently, in July 2005 was reprinted and returned to use. It is now in the front of every book we put on the shelves.

The building switched from the use of coal for heating to a steam boiler for the first time in 1938, and in 1965 that original unit was replaced by a boiler that had lasted for over 40 long years of service. In March 2006, with the help of a local firm, J & K Plumbing, Heating / AC, Inc., we installed a pair of smaller units that will operate with greater efficency.

A mezzanine was added to the first floor in 1961 to increase room for book stacks, as well as a separate office for the librarian. At that time the librarian was Miss Ellen Morin, who served until 1987. Other improvements in the 1980's included new storm windows and roof, and a handicapped-access ramp, funded by a community-wide fund drive. Following 14 years of service by Joyce Cook as librarian, D.L. Hobert was at Fulton Public Library for just a couple of years.

During the 1990's two branch libraries were opened: in April, 1997, the Pathfinder Reading Center and in June 1999, the David E. Vayner Resource Room opened at 365 West First Street in space provided by Oswego County Catholic Charities in the Fulton CYO Building. In October, 2005 the difficult decision was made to close the Pathfinder Reading Center based on an apparent dwindling in use of the facility which confirmed via survey of the community. The resources there were reallocated, mostly to the David E. Vayner Branch Library, but also to the the Carnegie Main Library and several other community based organizations. In January 2006 the Vayner Branch became fully automated with the SIRSI online library system due in large measure to assistance from a team of a dozen wonderful volunteers who worked from Columbus Day through Christmas to get the project completed for the New Year. We have retrofitted all of the materials at the Vayner Branch with our historic bookplate.

The Carnegie Main Library now houses ten computers for public use (six with Internet access, learning and games software, word processing and more; three public access catalogs and one off-line worstation for learning computing skills, typing, and various software products), over 40,000 books, video and audio tapes, CD's, DVDs, Talking Books, 80 annual subscriptions to newspapers and magazines, video tapes of the Common Council for the past two years, a vast collection of local history and genealogy materials and a number of informational databases. Some of theses materials are available for in-library use, only. There are also Internet-ready computers at the Vayner Branch, as well as an additional 9 magazine subscriptions, 10,000 books, videos and etc. and both locations have regular programs for children.

Today, the Fulton Public Library is funded by the City of Fulton; by a sum determined by vote of the citizens of the Fulton City School District and collected by the district on the library's behalf; by the State of New York; and through the voluntary generosity of our card-holders. In August 2005 we published the first edition of our new Patron's Society newsletter which will be distributed to everybody who has made a donation during 2005. For additional information on how you can become a member of our Patron's Society please e-mail: helpdesk@fultonpubliclibrary.info.

Finally, while we recognize that Local History and Genealogy are topics of growing interest in the United States today, and we are eager to have individuals come in and make use of our collection, we are unable to provide copies of any vital records as they are not housed here. All other inquiries must be made in writing, giving as much detail as possible. Like all reference questions, we will do our best to respond promptly and completely, however, we do not have the staff available to undertake full-scale genealogical research.

Meet the Staff