Kezar Memorial Library

Linda’s Monday Morning Moaning’s 

Samuel and Nancy Kezar from Turner, New York, would live in a Queen Anne style home on Church Street that they built in 1894. When Samuel passed away in Romeo in 1898, his wife and daughter would move to San Francisco on the west coast. Mrs. Kezar’s would come into an inheritance and remembered their time in Romeo and donate the money to build the Kezar Memorial Library on the corner of Church and Main Street. 

In 1910 a New York architect would draw up a plan for an ‘Old English Inn’ and building would begin. Henry Stephens II donated $1000. for the purchase of books, which did come with a proviso that he wanted to choose most of the books to be bought. But a generous gift never the less. Today when entering the library you are transported back to a time when life was more simpler and serene. Additions have been added over the years, never changing the original idea of the ‘perfect small town library’.

This was were I was directed to go to find the historical and genealogical information I was looking for. I had lived in the area for almost 10 years at the time and never knew about this treasure. Being someone who loves books and likes to own them,’borrowing’ books from a library had not entered the realm of my thought process. But finding the fact that they were the greatest source of research material, the Kezar became my home away from home.

On that ‘wee’ note, till next week.

Vintage Kezar Memorial Library

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Published by Linda Osborne Cynowa

Linda Osborne Cynowa has lived in the Washington Township community since 2007. She moved to this area because of its beautiful hills, stunning scenery, and fruit orchards. Linda’s background is in photography, genealogy, and with a lifelong love of history, found herself working in a voluntary capacity with the Romeo Community Archives at the Romeo Kezar Library. She researched the many historic homes and families in the Romeo and Washington area, which led to a keen interest and knowledge of the area’s history. With a love of the Arcadia Publishing ‘Images of America’ books, she was always bothered that Washington Township wasn’t represented. When inquiring about this, she was told, “You haven’t written it yet”! With the encouragement of the Archivists at the Community Archives, a proposal was submitted for consideration. In September of 2019, WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP became part of the ‘Images of America’ series.

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