Our Library

Elwood District Carnegie Library is located right off Route 1 in the middle of Ridge
Farm, Illinois. The village is home to one of the smallest Carnegie Libraries in the
United States. Residents from Ridge Farm, Elwood Township, Olivet, Vermilion
Grove, Indianola and other surrounding communities utilize the library and its
ongoing programs.

A Carnegie library is a library that has been built with money donated by Scottish
American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie grew up
poor, but he spent a lot of time as a child in his local library. During the last 18
years of his life, he gave away around $350 million (equivalent to over $10 billion
in today’s currency), almost 90 percent of his fortune, to charities, foundations
and universities. Over 2,000 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and
1929.