The library’s namesake and benefactor, Stephen Meekins (1812-1894), was a Williamsburg farmer, known for his hard work and his thrift. The town library he endowed in his will was the “hobby and dream of his life” and the stately granite building at the center of town is here more than 125 years later serving the local and Hilltown communities.
This unusual ambrotype, from c. 1855-1861, shows Stephen Meekins sitting on a bench at the entrance to President George Washington’s tomb at Mount Vernon, on the Potomac River in Virginia. Farmer Meekins was very interested in the life of President Washington and read books by and about him and had copies of those books in his personal library.
Stephen Meekins and his wife Wealthy Bradford (1812-1875) had no children. On his death in 1894, he left a bequest of more than $30,000 to fund a library for his town. The original library building was dedicated on February 1, 1897. When you walk past the Village Hill Cemetery up on the hill, look for his grave. It is the tallest stone you will see—a large granite monument with a sphere on top. Daria D’Arienzo, Meekins Archivist and cemetery photographer. #throwbackthursday; #tbt.
Posted to Facebook 2/22/2024
