Westerly Library

Westerly Library. Historic Wilcox Park. , Westerly Library , The Library is a memorial to the Civil War Soldiers, the first and largest memorial in the Park. The Library was designed by Longstaff and Hurd of Bridgeport, CT in the style of an Italian palazzo and opened in 1894. It is built of yellow brick and with a red clay roof and Westerly granite details in the foundation, window trim, and building details., Stephen Wilcox pledged half the money for the land and the Library with a desire "to commemorate the noble deeds of the volunteer soldiers and sailors of Westerly and vicinity in maintaining the Union 1861-1865". The community donated the remainder of the $50,000. As a result, the Memorial and Library Association of Westerly was formed in 1892, and still owns the Library and Park as a private non-for-profit. The Library was a living memorial for the Grand Army of the Republic, and included reading and writing rooms, a gymnasium, a bowling alley and showers, and an auditorium. Wilcox died before the building was completed., The Library has seen three additions. The first, at the back, was donated by Harriet (Hoxie) Wilcox, Stephen's widow, to house their art collection. The second, on the right side, was donated by William D. Hoxie, her nephew, to provide the first children's room and the Hoxie gallery. And lastly, the four story curve at the back, doubled the size of the Library., Stephen Wilcox , Stephen Wilcox was born in Westerly. He was an industrialist-inventor, earning the first of his nearly 50 patents at the age of 23. With his childhood friend, George H. Babcock, he invented a safer, larger capacity steam boiler that was used for electricity generation, warships and factories. Babcock and Wilcox, is still a publicly traded company on the NY Stock exchange., The Library is funded through its endowment, the towns of Stonington, CT and Westerly, RI, and the generosity of donors.,

1894 - Library Dedication. , 1902 - 1st Addition. , 1928 - 2nd Addition. , 1992 - 3rd Addition.