GAIL BORDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY

HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE

Don't come to town looking for the Elgin library - there is no such thing. Instead, we have the Gail Borden Public Library. It was named after the man credited with inventing condensed milk and other milk products. The Borden Company once operated a canning factory in Elgin, in fact, it stood right across the street where the recreation center is today.

Elgin's earliest library dates back to 1846, when a few far sighted citizens made a small collection of books available for lending. This little library was housed in several locations until 1894 when Gail Borden's stepsons remodeled a large home in downtown Elgin and donated it for use as a library. Their only stipulation was that the facility carry their father's name.

After many years, Elgin outgrew that space and moved into a new building in 1968. It was located south of the present library. In 2004, the library moved again to this even larger facility. Filled with more than just books, this fantastic building houses art work, videos, recorded music, exhibition space, meeting rooms, computer space and a whole lot more.

PLAQUE LOCATIONS