Commemorative Markers at the Watertown Library

On Tuesday evening, Aug. 2, brick donors, Watertown Free Public Library Trustees, and Administration gathered to celebrate the installation of nearly 40 new engraved bricks in the front entrance patio. After viewing the new bricks, attendees gathered in the library’s upstairs gallery for refreshments and welcoming remarks by Trustee Chair, Michael J. Hanlon, Jr.

These new bricks join scores of others that contributed to the building fund prior to our opening 5 years ago. Each brick has a personal message selected by the donor, and each remains a very visible sign of community support for the library.

More than 200 bricks form a patio at the Main St. library entrance. They lead up to the plaque on the library’s front brick wall that commemorates George Eaton Priest (1849-1897), a Watertown Free Public Library Trustee from 1889-1897.

As the Civil War sesquicentennial gets underway, it is important to remember Mr. Priest, a 1st. Lieutenant quartermaster in the 37^th. Massachusetts Infantry.  The plaque in his honor reads:

“A faithful officer in the War which preserved the Union and destroyed slavery”.