National Register of Historic Places

Parlin Library

Canton, Fulton County, Illinois
Listed
May 5, 1994
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
94000434

About this property

The Parlin Library is an historic library building at 210 East Chestnut Street in Canton, Illinois, US. The building was built in 1893-94 for the city's library; while the city had earlier had two library associations, both had failed and the city had no public library at the time. William Parlin, Sr., the founder of Canton's most prosperous business in the Parlin & Orendorff Company, bequeathed the money for the library in his estate when he died in 1890; his estate provided US$8,000 for the building and its collection, while an additional $5,000 came from a library tax. The Peoria architectural firm of Richardson & Salter designed the Richardsonian Romanesque library. The library's collection included 1,000 books when it opened, increasing to 8,000 by 1908; it also included a large art gallery. The library served in its original capacity until 1958, when a new library opened and the old building became Canton's city hall. The library was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. It is one of four sites on the Register in Canton; the others are the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Station, the Ulysses G. Orendorff House and the Orendorf Site.

Location

210 E. Chestnut St.
Canton, Fulton County, Illinois
40.55671, -90.03156

Categories

SOCIAL HISTORYEDUCATION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

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.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Station
Industrial
0.1 mi
Orendorff, Ulysses G., House
Industrial
0.6 mi
Duvall-Ash Farmstead
Early Republic
5.9 mi
Palmer, Hiram, House
Industrial
10 mi
St. James Episcopal Church
Industrial
12.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Parlin Library listed on the National Register?

Parlin Library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 5, 1994.

What type of historic resource is Parlin Library?

Parlin Library is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Parlin Library?

The period of significance for Parlin Library is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Parlin Library?

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