Built in 1904 (Neoclassical architecture). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
“Paxton Carnegie Public Library is in the Ford County, Illinois city of Paxton. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.”
Wikipedia article Paxton Carnegie Public Library, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 5 National Register listings published here for Ford County · listed in 2002 · category: Building · built in 1904, Neoclassical architecture.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
The chapter on Patton Township in Historical Atlas of Ford County Illinois, published 1884 names Paxton. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.
It is probable that William Trickel kept the first store in this township, if not in tho county. The store was located on Section 18. A blacksmith shop was started at Ten Mile Grove by C. J. Buchner, who afterward moved to Paxton and built a shop near the railroad.
Passage source: Historical Atlas of Ford County Illinois, published 1884.
J. D. Hall was born in Ross County, Ohio, April 10, 1821. James Hall (deceased), father of J. D. Hall, was a native of Maryland, and died in Vinton County, Ohio, 1855. Mr. Hall emigrated from Ohio to Fountain County, Ind., June, 1839, and to Warren County, Ind., in 1843. He was married to Eliza Wieman in Fountain County, Ind., in 1841. She was a native of Virginia. In February, 1852, Mr. Hall emigrated to Ford County, then Vermilion County, whore he began to make im¬ provements on Section 33, his present homo, and where he has since resided. Mr. and Mrs. Hall have been blessed with four children, three of whom are now living. Mr. Hall built the first frame house north of the river, in what is now Ford County. The post office, when he first settled in this county, was eighteen miles from his farm, at Higginsville. Mr. Hall began the grain business with his son, Henry C. Hall, of Paxton, in 1865, but has now retired from active life. He has 285 acres of excellent land in Patton, which he entered thirty years ago. He was the second Sheriff of Ford County.
Passage source: Historical Atlas of Ford County Illinois, published 1884.
Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.
Read the whole chapter on Patton Township - 2,791 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1 fire within 5 miles of Paxton Carnegie Public Library in 2018, burning about 20 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 September 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 20 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | ERIC FOX |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Paxton Carnegie Public Library: 1 past producer, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corbly Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Howard Thomas West Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Paxton, the town this property stands in, in 52 storm reports between 1994 and 2026: 29 thunderstorm wind, 8 flood, 7 hail, 3 tornado. The reports record 4 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | 3 hurt | A tractor-semitrailer parked on the shoulder of Interstate 57 was blown over injuring three people. Part of a barn roof was blown off and trees were damaged and uprooted. |
| August 2018 | Lightning | Paxton | 1 hurt | A person was struck by lightning near South Cherry and West Ottawa Streets and suffered only minor injuries. |
| January 2008 | Flood | Paxton | $500,000 | Heavy rain which fell onto saturated and frozen ground on January 8th caused widespread and significant flooding across much of Ford County through January 11th. Numerous roads were flooded and closed. Storm total rainfall amounts included 4.14 inches in Piper City and 3.62 inches in Paxton. |
| February 2008 | Flash Flood | Paxton | $500,000 | Flash flooding was reported throughout much of Ford County. Deep and fast flowing water was flowing across many roads. Piper City reported 2.69 inches of rainfall, Paxton reported 2.25 inches and Gibson City reported 2.13 inches. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | $100,000 | Widespread damage from the west side of Paxton where small and medium size tree limbs were down to about State Road 115, 4 miles west of Paxton. Numerous large limbs were down, some large trees snapped ot uprooted. Shed roofs and doors were torn off and barns collapsed. A building was damaged at the airport west of town. Damage extended several miles north and south of State Road 9, but the worst damage appeard to be along SR 9 between County Roads 1500 and 1700. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | $25,000 | Wind gusts were estimated to 80 mph. Trees, tree limbs and power lines were blown down across all of Paxton. Tin siding was blown off of a building. |
| August 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | $10,000 | A roof was blown off a building on Vermillion Street between Holmes and Pine. Half of a tree fell onto a house on Washington Street. A 4 to 6 inch diameter tree limb fell onto Center Street. There were sporadic 3 to 6 inch diameter tree limbs blown down on the north side of Paxton. |
| March 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | $10,000 | Two camper trailers were overturned on Interstate 57. |
| April 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | $10,000 | A roof was blown off a trailer in a mobile home park. |
| April 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | An eight inch diameter tree limb was broken near the intersection of Oak St and American St in Paxton. |
| April 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | An eight to ten inch diameter tree limb was downed on E Patton St between Washington and College streets in Paxton. |
| April 2026 | Flood | Paxton | - | About half a dozen streets in Paxton were under three to four inches of water. |
| May 2025 | Heavy Rain | Paxton | - | A private weather station measured 2.1 inches of rainfall in 30 minutes with a storm total rainfall of 2.82 inches. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | Power lines were blown down on East Patton Street. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | Emergency management reported trees down in Paxton, including at least one large tree snapped at the trunk. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | Two cars were crushed by falling trees near the intersection of Center St and Maple St in Paxton. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | A number of large tree limbs were blown down, the largest up to 8 inches in diameter. One tree limb fell onto a car. There were three occurrences of tree limbs blocking roads. A power line was blown down onto a road and vehicle. |
| February 2023 | Flood | Paxton | - | A photo shared on social media showed standing water at the intersection of Roselawn Drive and Stockholm Road. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | Trees and power lines were blown down throughout Paxton. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | A private weather station measured a wind gust to 62 mph. |
| August 2023 | Flash Flood | Paxton | - | Several portions of Route 9 were closed east of Paxton due to flooding. Winter Street was blockaded. A photo shared on social media showed a rain gauge near Paxton with a storm total of 6.50 inches of rain. |
| May 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | A tree was reported snapped half way up and had fallen onto power lines in Paxton. Time was estimated based on data from nearby personal weather stations. |
| June 2020 | Flood | Paxton | - | Flooding of ditches, fields, and some residential roads was reported in and east of the Paxton area. Rainfall of 3.03 inches was measured in 3 hours, three miles south of Paxton. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | A two to three foot diameter tree was uprooted and a six inch diameter tree limb was snapped on another tree. |
| August 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | Wind gusts were estimated to 60 mph. |
| August 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | A motorcycle was blown off Interstate 57 near Mile Marker 263. The rider suffered only minor injuries. |
| August 2018 | Flood | Paxton | - | Many streets in Paxton were covered with several inches of flood waters. Storm total rainfall of 2.48 inches was measured 0.5 miles east of Paxton. |
| June 2018 | Flood | Paxton | - | Standing water was reported on area roads and in yards. Dawn Street between Route 45 and Lane Drive was closed due standing water 5 to 6 inches deep. Storm total rainfall amounts included 3.52 inches in Buckley and 2.55 inches in Paxton. |
| May 2017 | Hail | Paxton | - | Half dollar size hail fell north of Paxton near I-57. |
| November 2017 | Flood | Paxton | - | Several streets were flooded with standing water up to 8 inches deep. |
| May 2011 | Tornado (EF0) | Paxton | - | A small and brief tornado reportedly touched down in a field about five miles west of Paxton. No damage was reported. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | A large tree was blown down on Route 9 blocking both lanes. |
| February 2008 | Flood | Paxton | - | After heavy rain and flash flooding on February 4th and February 5th, flooding continued for several days due to saturated and frozen ground. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | Large tree limbs were blown down. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | Severval tree limbs and power lines were blown down across Paxton and southeast Ford County. |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | Tree limbs were blown down. |
| October 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | Large tree limbs down on Interstate 57. |
| June 2004 | Flash Flood | Paxton | - | State police reported flooding on U.S. Rt. 45. |
| May 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Paxton | - | A weak tornado touched down 2 miles west of Paxton near Interstate 57 in southern Ford county. Utility poles were blown down west of Paxton. |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | Trees were downed on a nursing home in Paxton. A telephone pole fell on 4 cars. In Roberts, extensive damage occurred as gutters were torn from houses, and winds uprooted trees which created roads to be blocked. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | Straight line winds downed several tree limbs and a few trees into electric poles, causing power outages throughout Paxton. Two large trees were uprooted. |
| April 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | Fourteen power poles were blown down at Buckley. Farm outbuildings were destroyed by winds southeast of Paxton. |
| May 2025 | Hail | Paxton | - | no account filed |
| May 2025 | Hail | Paxton | - | no account filed |
| April 2015 | Hail | Paxton | - | no account filed |
| May 2009 | Hail | Paxton | - | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Hail | Paxton | - | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Paxton | - | no account filed |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxton | - | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Tornado (F0) | Paxton | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Paxton Water Tower and Pump House | under 500 feet | 1984 |
 | Dunnan-Hampton House | 0.3 miles | 2007 |
 | Paxton First Schoolhouse | 0.8 miles | 1980 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 02000463 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Ford County | All 5 listed properties in this county. |
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