Paxton Carnegie Public Library is in the

Ford County, Illinois Ford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 14,081. Its county seat is Paxton. Ford County was part of the Champaign–Urbana, IL Metropolitan Statistical Are ...

city of Paxton. The building is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. The building is still used by the Paxton Carnegie Library and is open as a public library.

History

This Carnegie Library was established in 1903 with the help of a grant from steel magnate

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

. The building was designed by architect Paul O. Moratz of

Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city and the county seat of McLean County, Illinois, United States. It is adjacent to the town of Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area. Bloomington ...

, and its unique architectural features have been preserved throughout its over 100-year history. Construction on the Paxton Library began when the $10,000 Carnegie grant came through; the

cornerstone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over time ...

was laid by Harry and George Turner in October 1903. The interior has been restored to its original 1903 appearance, the original furnishings are still in use as is the original

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

circulation desk. In 2003 the cornerstone of the library was removed during the 100th-anniversary celebration by Harry Turner's grandson, Alan Turner of Paxton.

Today

The Paxton Carnegie Library is governed by a nine-member board of trustees which meets the first Wednesday of each month. Today, the library houses over 26,000 volumes, subscriptions to 73 periodicals for adults and 10 for children and 4 newspapers, 1,000 videos, 300 audio books, microfilm, vertical files, city and county history information, large print books and computers and fax machines for public use. Books are circulated for two weeks at a time, magazines and DVDs for one week. There are overdue fines assessed. All residents of the city of Paxton may have a free library card while non-residents are required to pay an annual fee. The library is an active member of the Illinois Heartland Library System.Library Info
Paxton Carnegie Public Library.

Notes

External links

Illinois Carnegie LibrariesPaxton Carnegie Library
{{authority control Library buildings completed in 1904 Buildings and structures in Ford County, Illinois Public libraries in Illinois Carnegie libraries in Illinois National Register of Historic Places in Ford County, Illinois Education in Ford County, Illinois Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois

History

Today

See also

Notes

External links