Mills & Petrie Memorial Library & Gymnasium
🏢 Prairie Cat & RAILS Member · Ashton, Illinois
Mills & Petrie Memorial Library & Gymnasium
Named for two families whose generosity shaped Ashton's civic life, Mills & Petrie Memorial Library & Gymnasium has anchored the village of fewer than a thousand residents in Lee County since the early twentieth century — a single building that doubles as public library and community gymnasium at 704 North First Street.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 1pm–6pm |
| Tuesday | 10am–6pm |
| Wednesday | 1pm–6pm |
| Thursday | 1pm–6pm |
| Friday | Closed |
| Saturday | 10am–1pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 704 NORTH FIRST STREET, ASHTON, IL 61006
Phone: +1815-453-5048
Website: ashtonil.com
Plus Code: 86HGVQ8G+RV (ASHTON, IL)
📱 Scan for directions
Point your phone camera at the code to open turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps.
👋 Use the Library Online
📖 About Mills & Petrie Memorial Library & Gymnasium
Mills & Petrie Memorial Library & Gymnasium serves Ashton, a Lee County village of about 967 residents surrounded by northern Illinois farmland. The memorial library carries the names of the Mills and Petrie families whose donations made the building possible, and the gymnasium attached to it has long served as a community gathering space for everything from youth activities to civic meetings. The library's collection spans physical books, CDs, audiobooks, and digital titles through Palace Project, hoopla and the statewide Illinois IRIS database consortium. The upcoming Blum History Center, housed within the building, will open a new window onto Ashton's early history. The library accepts memorial walkway brick dedications and rents out its Legion Room, Entry Hall, and commercial kitchen for community events.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Unique dual-purpose building: the only public library in Lee County that also contains a community gymnasium
- Upcoming Blum History Center for exploring Ashton's early local history — a research destination for area genealogists
- Memorial walkway bricks available for purchase, connecting community donors to the building's legacy
- Rentable spaces including a Legion Room, Entry Hall and commercial kitchen for community and private events
- Tuesday opening at 10 am — the earliest weekday start — making it the most accessible morning visit day
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Ashton cardholders get free access to Illinois statewide digital collections:
📚 Services
- Physical collection: books, CDs, audiobooks and periodicals
- eBooks and digital audiobooks via Palace Project and hoopla
- Public computers and free Wi-Fi
- Fax service (toll-free free; long-distance $1.00/10 pages)
- Photocopying service
- After-hours book drop return
- Interlibrary loan through Prairie Cat
- Community space rental: Legion Room, Entry Hall and commercial kitchen
- Library card issuance for Ashton residents
🎸 Programs
- Summer Reading Program
- Community Book Club (first Monday of the month)
- Children's Storytime (Tuesdays 10:15–10:45 am)
- Chess Club for grades 3–12 (Wednesdays 4:00–5:00 pm)
- Sewing Class (Wednesdays 3:30 pm)
- Ping-Pong Club (Wednesdays 6:00 pm)
📍 Nearby Libraries in Northern Illinois
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Mills & Petrie Memorial Library unique among Illinois small-town libraries?
It is the only public library in the region that shares its building with a full community gymnasium. The memorial building — named for the founding donor families — also houses rentable civic spaces including a Legion Room, Entry Hall and commercial kitchen, making it a true multi-purpose community hub in a village of under 1,000 people.
What is the Blum History Center at the Mills & Petrie Library?
The Blum History Center is an upcoming dedicated space within the library building focused on exploring Ashton's early history. It will be a local-history research resource for residents, genealogists and anyone curious about the village's roots in Lee County.
Can I rent the library's spaces for events?
Yes. The library building includes a Legion Room, Entry Hall and a commercial kitchen that can be rented for community events, private gatherings and other functions. Contact the library at (815) 453-5048 or email mplibrary@ashtonil.com to ask about availability and rental rates.
What digital resources can I access free with my Ashton library card?
Your card unlocks Palace Project and hoopla for eBooks, audiobooks, movies and music with no waitlists, plus the statewide IRIS database consortium (50+ EBSCO databases covering academic, health, business and K–12 topics), and the Digital Library of Illinois through Libby/OverDrive for additional eBooks and magazines.
📜 This library has genealogy & local-history resources. See how library family-history research works and find other libraries with genealogy collections genealogy libraries by state.
🖨 This library offers printing, copying & fax. See how library printing, copying, scanning and fax services work — costs and mobile printing — and find other libraries that offer them printing & fax by state.
✓ Hours & details last verified from official sources in October 2026.
✎ Notice something out of date? Suggest a correction and we’ll verify and update it.