James Prendergast Free Library

Excerpt taken from: The Centennial History of Chautauqua County,  v.2.

...In the settlement of his affairs after his death his relatives found a brief memoranda requesting that the property at the corner of Main and Third Streets be made available as an endowment for a free public library. This was a simple request, but his parents scrupulously followed his directions. January 2, 1880, the James Prendergast Library Association was incorporated by act of Legislature and Januaury 3, 1880 the association was duly organized and took the title of the property. The articles of incorporation were drawn by Hon. Eleazer Green who has taken an active interest in the work and contributed materially towards its success.

    Mary Prendergast, the surviving parent of James Prendergast, died at Rochester December 22, 1889, and when her will was read it was found that the bulk of her estate was to be used for public objects. Robert N. Marvin and Willis O. Benedict were named as executers, and they fulfilled the trust imposed upon them with the most scrupulous fidelity. Summarized the various Prendergast bequests are as follows:

    The James Prendergast Library building was completed at a cost of sixty thousand dollars and furnished with an art gallery at a cost of forty-five thousand dollars. The grounds upon which the building is located cover an entire city square in one of the most sightly sections of the city. It was opened to the public December 1, 1891. It then contained eight thousand six hundred sixty-six volumes. This number has been increased from year to year and at the present time it contains twenty thousand two hundred forty-three volumes. During the thirteen years the library has been open a careful count has been kept of the number of volumes loaned and the number of persons who have visited the reading rooms. From year to year this number has gradually increased. For example, the number of books taken from the library at the time the second annual report was made was thirty-eight thousand seven hundred twenty-seven; the third annual report shows thirty nine thousand eight hundred sixty-seven; the fourth, forty-nine thousand one hundred ninety-four, and so on down to the thirteenth, which shows that during the preceding years there was loaned from the library seventy-four thousand one hundred eighty-four volumes, and including two half years in the report from the opening date, the entire number of books which have been taken foots up to the grand total of seven hundred fifty thousand, three hundred forty- nine.

    A handsome bronze drinking fountain was erected near one of the main entrances to Lake View Cemetery at the cost of two thousand dollars.

    The magnificent St. Luke's Episcopal Church edifice was erected at a cost of one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars.

    The sum of two thousand dollars was set aside and the income derived there from is divided annually into four prizes to be paid to students in the Jamestown schools for superior merit in scholarship, the same to be determined by competitive examinations.

    The sum of five hundred dollars was set aside and the income derived there from is expended in the purchase of books for the library of the Mission Sunday School conducted under the auspices of the Women's Christian Association.

    The rental of the Prendergast building at the corner of Main and Third Streets provides an income sufficient to defray the operating expenses of the library. Thus it will be seen that the Prendergast family imposed no restrictions for they not only built the library but they equipped it, and provided an endowment sufficient to support it for.....

04/27/2004