Old_Salina_Free

The Old Salina Free Library

Helen Burnham, in her book, Trolley Stops Two, Three & Four, gave the address of the library as 107 W. Molloy Road. However, the address on the building in 2013 was 105 W. Molloy Road. During my younger years I had spent many hours in that building which is the first house on the south side of the street, just the other side of the bushes separating it from the J&J Hardware parking lot. In her telling of the story, which probably came from Bernadine Salisbury, daughter of Mrs. Louise Salisbury, who was on the original library committee, the building was found in Skaneateles by Fred Bauer and it was free if someone would haul it away. The building was disassembled and brought to Mattydale where it was reassembled. Additional information, shown below, updates and correct this version of the story.

This is a 2013 view of 105 W. Molloy Road. The structure at this address once housed the Salina Free Library. In the 50s and 60s the outside of the building was covered with a red colored material very similar to roofing shingles.

Revised: February 14, 2015

This new information came from the Fred Bauer family and from some additional research based on this new information. In 1947, nine-year old Paul Bauer, Fred's son, helped his father wire the library building by "crawling through spaces for him and dragging wires."

It was the belief of Paul's older brother, who was 19 in 1947, that the structure that became the library had been an abandoned building on the old Army Air Base and that it arrived on the new site in pieces. This was during the time that the old barracks had been remodeled to provide housing for the returning war veterans and the reminder of the property was being converted into a commercial airport. Although Fred and his son did the electrical work, Fred gave most of the credit, for doing the hard work, to Herbert Hickok of 303 Brookfield Road.

According to Paul, "the guy who did all the heavy lifting on putting it together and on its feet on West Molloy Rd. was named Herbert Hickok. He hand dug the foundation (no basement) and the trench out to the town sewer, I believe hand mixed the concrete, and erected the main structure."

A little additional research showed that Hickok had been a plumber by trade. He had been a member of the Board of the Salina Free Library, in association with this first library at LeMoyne and Boulevard Street, his function was "maintenance," which was in keeping with his trade. [1944-10-19] In 1952 he was secretary for the "planning committee for the New Monument of the Community Veterans of All Wars." [1952-01-30] While participating on the monument committee Hickok was also the president of the Mattydale Area Community Council. [1952-02-08]

NOTES:

[1944-10-19] - "Mrs. Hageman Named To Library Board," The Herald Journal, Syracuse, NY, Thursday, October 19, 1944.

[1952-01-30] The Herald-Journal, Syracuse, NY, Wednesday, January 30, 1952.

[1952-02-08] - "Funds Are Sought For Vet Monument," The Post Standard, Syracuse, NY, Friday, February 8, 1952.