The
History of the Keller Memorial, Town Government Center
Compiled
by Delbert E. Van Etten, Town and Village of Liberty Historian -
August 1977
(6/11/1927 - 10/31/2004)
The
Keller Memorial,
Town of Liberty Government Center, formerly the home of Otto E.
and Polly Young Keller located at 120 North Main Street, Liberty,
N. Y. with its tree laden lawns remains to all outward appearances,
with the exception of the few necessary alterations, much the same
as when the Keller family occupied the dwelling as their home.
The house and grounds have changed
little since the early part of the century when the home was rebuilt
and the grounds were developed much as they exist today by James
Chandler Young.
The
prime forces in retaining the property in the later years were two
sisters, Mrs. Polly Y. Keller and Miss Louise Kimball Young, daughters
of James Chandler Young and Emma Crary Young who were responsible
for making most of the alterations and additions to the structure
as we see it today.
The front and central section
of the house was originally built by Dr. John D. Watkins in the
year 1836 or close thereto. Dr. Watkins who was born June 7, 1806
near Campbell Hall in Orange County was a graduate of the College
of Physicians and Surgeons at Fairfield, Herkimer County. He began
his practice of medicine at eversink, later moving to Blooming burgh
and finally settling at Liberty, where in 1833 he married Harriet
Young, a daughter of Joseph Young. He went into the mercantile pursuits
with his father-in-law and later bought out the stock of goods of
the late Caleb Buckley and commenced business in the settlement
on his own account as a merchant, with John Davidge as a partner
.
When
Dr. Watkins built the "Watkins House" as it was known
in those days, it was vastly different from the structure as it
exists today. The front of the house was quite plain, having a small
porch centered at the middle extension that houses the front door.
At the top of the existing front steps is a large thick flag stone
which served as the floor for the small porch as built by Dr. Watkins.
The
front of the house had one window centered in the space on either
side of the front door with an "eyebrow" of gingerbread
over the top of each, and there were no windows in the front of
the house on the second floor. The large curved bay windows were
not on the southerly side of the house and there was at that time
but one central chimney protruding through the center of the roof
.
The
existing middle section or rear ell at that time did not have the
large screened sleeping porch on the second floor which Mr. Otto
Keller put on and the wood-house which now stands directly in the
rear of the main building stood on the lawn to the south and faced
Main Street.
The
entire frontage on Main Street at this time was adorned by an ornamental
iron fence. In the summer of 1914, J.C. Young had the existing stone
work done and the old iron fence was sold to Frank and Phoebe Edmonds
to adorn their property at the corner of Chestnut and Clements Streets.
The Edmonds place was later purchased by Dr. Luther Grant and eventually
made into his home and office complex.
Dr.
John D. Watkins was a very prominent person in the community. In
1843 he was appointed the first County Supervisor of Schools and
in 1847 he erected two buildings on Academy Street (in the vicinity
of the old Lenape Hotel) and established the Liberty Normal Institute
for the purpose of training teachers, which was the only one in
the State at this time. Between 1857 and 1861, two fire companies
were formed in the area, Watkins Engine #1 and B. W .Winner Hook
and Ladder #2. Dr. Watkins gave the pumper to #1's to get them started.
He also served as Town Supervisor in 1853 and 1854 and later served
as a State Senator on the Democratic ticket. Dr. Watkins also donated
most generously to the Liberty Methodist Church when it was established
at its present site on North Main Street. The Doctor's picture hung
on the wall of the Keller parlor, now the Town Clerk's Office, until
a couple of years ago when it was given to a Dr. Brown, a great
grandson of Dr. Watkins. Although his picture is gone and his home
underwent great changes from the time that he dwelt there, the evidence
of him is left by the fact that all the doors in the older section
of the house have their door knobs closer to the floor than the
average -this because although the good doctor was "large"
in many respects, he was himself, a small man in stature.
Dr. Watkins died on June 5,
1878 and is buried in the old section of the Liberty Cemetery. Later
on October 12, 1880, Harriet Watkins, his widow, conveyed the property
to her nephew, James Chandler Young. The land conveyed at that time
consisted of the house lot and a barn lot on the easterly side of
Main Street where the barn stood, some distance down from the sidewalk
and near the brook. The barn was painted in the same shades of brown
as the house and was a fairly good sized structure . It was destroyed
by requested burning by the fire companies after being purchased
by the Sullivan County National Bank.
When
J.C. Young acquired the house in 1880, he was not yet married and
he hired a young drover by the name of Arthur Grant to stay at the
house and look after the place for him. Mr. Grant remained with
the Young and Keller families for over half a century, until his
death in April of 1931.
On
September 7, 1881 Mr. Young married Emma Crary at Sands Creek, about
two miles above Hancock in Delaware County. Emma was the daughter
of Horace H. Crary and Polly Burr, who were both natives of Liberty.
Mr. Crary had a large tannery at Sands Creek at this time.
Following
their marriage, Mr. & Mrs. Young returned to Liberty to set
up house- keeping at the house which was to remain their home until
their death.
Dr. Watkins and John Davidge
had a general store where the former Frank Mauer Market was, now
the building occupied by the Montgomery Ward Store. J.C. Young,
together with Uriah and Charles Messiter purchased the business
from his widow and went on to finally build the large three story
building at the corner of North Main and School Streets, now occupied
by the Sullivan County National Bank.
.
The store at that time was known
as "Young, Messiter and Dodge" and in later years before
it went out of business was known as Keller's Department Store.
Mr.
Young was a great businessman and his talents were quite diversified.
Besides being a merchant, he was a banker (one of the founders of
the Sullivan County National Bank) and a most successful dairy farmer.
It
was during Mr. Young's ownership of the house that most of the improvements
and remodeling was done.
Mr.
S.O. Lacey, an architect from Binghamton, designed the bay windows
with their bowed or curved glass, and Eagan and Ahrens, local carpenters,
built the porch across the front about 1889 or 1890.
The front bedroom windows above the
porch were added at a later date . 
The
fountain, a boy and girl under the umbrella, has been on the front
lawn since probably about 1883 and water dripped from the umbrella
until the last few years when the old "Winner spring line" that
led from a spring in the Sprague Avenue area gave out.
J.C.
Young and his father gave Memorial Hall to the Liberty Methodist
Church in memory of his mother Louisa Kimball Young. It, too, was
designed by Mr. Lacey, the same architect who worked on his home
.
Mr.
Young died at his home on December 12, 1914 and the spacious house
was much too small to accommodate the hundreds that came to pay
their last respects. The floral tribute at that time was the largest
ever seen in the village. A very fine portrait of J.C.Young hung
in the main entrance hall and is now in the possession of James
Chandler Keller, his great grandson. Although he is long gone, the
house remains today much as he left it.
Following
the death of J.C. Young, his wife Emma and daughters. Polly and
Louise, remained at the house until Polly married Otto E. Keller
on June 17, 1915 and left to start a home and family of her own
in a house on Law Street across the road from the homestead.
Mrs.
Young died Apri126, 1916 and again the home was too small for the
many friends and mourners. She was described "as a unique personality
of unusual grace and queenly loveliness. Her supreme joy of life
was the church of Christ - her Christianity both real and ideal."
Following
the death of Mrs. Young, Louise was left alone for a short time
until Mr. & Mrs. Keller returned to the homestead with their
family, where they remained until after Louise's death and finally
due to the failing health of Mr. Keller, they left the big old house
to be near their children in Connecticut.
Mr.
Keller, who died December 4, 1970, was born in New York City and
was orphaned at an early age. Due to illness he was sent to the
country for the summer and wound up working in the Liberty area.
He eventually acquired the Young, Messiter and Dodge firm after
the death of J.C. Young and changed the name to Keller's Department
Store which he ran for many years. A few of his other local business
interests included building the large building on North Main Street
now occupied by the Barbuti Furniture Store, being president of
the Sullivan County Finance Corporation, and a director for many
years of the Sullivan County National Bank. He is remembered as
being a man of ample stature, distinguished looking, a gracious
personality and being a leader in the business, social and civic
life of the Community.
Russell
and Grace Garrabrant, who worked for the family a couple of years
before the Kellers left for Connecticut, stayed as caretakers, keeping
the house and grounds in immaculate condition and to all outward
appearances, the Kellers were still at home.
Shortly
after the first of January 1976, there were rumors that the house
was to be given to the Town of Liberty for office purposes and this
was later confirmed in the local papers.
About
mid summer, the family began the staggering task of removing the
furnishings and the general accumulation of the years and years
of occupancy by one family.
On August 25, 1976, the deed conveying the lands to the Town of
Liberty was signed by Polly Y. Keller and the house and grounds
officially became Town property.
After
the Labor Day weekend all was gone and the house and grounds awaited
the coming of a new cycle of events in its existence.
Architect
Martin Schwartz of Rock Hill was hired by the Town Board and plans
were drawn and put out for bids for the necessary renovations to
be made on the structure so that it might be converted into public
office space, yet retain as far as possible the dignity and graciousness
of the fine old home.
On March 10, 1977 bids were
awarded for the general contract, electrical contract, and the contract
for the sprinkler installation. Ralph Manzi, doing business as DeRoosa
Builders, Inc. of White Plains, New York, received the general contract.
Ross Electric of Liberty did the electrical work and the Sullivan
Sprinkler Service Corporation of South Fallsburgh put in the sprinkler
system. Marty Hoffman and William Nicoll did an excellent job on
the interior painting of the building .
While
the house was in the remodeling stage, the sad news came from Connecticut,
that Mrs. Keller who had been ill for a short period of time had
died on Apri1 24, 1977. A Service of Remembrance was held at her
beloved Methodist Church and was attended by her many friends. She
was buried beside her husband in the family plot in the Liberty
Cemetery.
Although
Mrs. Keller didn't live to be present at the dedication, we shall
remember her for the loving, generous, kind and thoughtful person
that she was in her everyday affairs.
Due
to her generosity, and that of her family, the historic house and
grounds will be preserved and the Town has its needed offices, and
we, the people of Liberty, have something to be proud of.
Compiled
by Delbert E. Van Etten, Town and Village of Liberty Historian -
August 1977
|
Town
of Liberty, New York 