Bow, Lily Lawrence, Library
About this property
The Lily Lawrence Bow Library is a historic library in Homestead, Florida. It is located 212 Northwest 1st Avenue. On August 5, 1996, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It was named after Lily Lawrence Bow, Homestead's first librarian. Lily Lawrence Bow was born in 1870. She was a college educated woman who loved the outdoors and was married to Richard Bow who, it seems, was an alcoholic. Originally from Chicago but having learned that it was possible to make a living growing limes and cotton in the Florida Keys, Bow convinced her husband to move to Cudjoe Key in 1904 with their two sons (14 and 4) and start a new life together. There they purchased 207 acres of hardwood hammock, salt ponds, and lime trees. At that time Cudjoe Key was very desolate and remote. The nearest town was Key West, a 20-mile sailboat ride away. The residents numbered just a few families who scratched out a living by making charcoal. The railroad hadn't been built yet. Richard Bow did not last long in this new farmer's life. Just a few short months after arriving in Cudjoe Richard left his family behind. Before leaving he transferred the property title to Lily. To survive Bow planted melons, pineapples, yams, tomatoes, and limes while her sons fished and hunted deer. Since she was college educated Bow taught her sons as well as the children from a neighboring family from Sugarloaf Key. The family would pay her with meat and vegetables. Surprisingly Bow had an upright piano in her one-room cabin. The Florida Eastcoast Railway began conducting survey work in 1906. One of the engineers, William Krome, befriended Bow and strongly urged her to leave the area. Many railroad workers would be arriving soon and he was worried for her safety and that of her sons. Initially Bow did not want to leave but relented after Krome gave her sixteen-year-old son a job with the railroad. She and her family left Cudjoe in October 1906, only days before a hurricane swept through, killing over one hundred railroad workers. In Miami she worked as a music teacher but Bow preferred the type of life she had on Cudjoe so she applied for a homestead grant in Homestead, Florida. There she built a cabin on the corner of 2nd Avenue and Avocado Drive. Bow sold citrus and raised chickens. She also wrote two poetry books: Pioneering with Pegasus and Cloth of Gold. Lily Lawrence Bow died in 1943. In 1920 the Women's Club of Homestead appointed Bow chair of their library committee, which soon became a public library. She was the first librarian in Homestead. Since the city had no position for a librarian, Bow was appointed as a policeman instead. Book donations came from Dade County and she gave books to the local schools. The library outgrew its home in the Women's Club and moved to a city-owned site.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Bow, Lily Lawrence, Library
This page lists Bow, Lily Lawrence, Library. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was Bow, Lily Lawrence, Library listed on the National Register?
Bow, Lily Lawrence, Library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 4, 1996.
What type of historic resource is Bow, Lily Lawrence, Library?
Bow, Lily Lawrence, Library is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Bow, Lily Lawrence, Library?
The period of significance for Bow, Lily Lawrence, Library is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Bow, Lily Lawrence, Library?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Bow, Lily Lawrence, Library will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Miami-Dade County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Miami-Dade County.
Explore Miami-DadeCounty ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Bow, Lily Lawrence, Library will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.