With its quaint brick streets, picturesque courthouse square and rambling Victorian homes, Mt. Carroll looks as if it could have been transported lock, stock and barrel from the Northeast. In fact, a century ago residents of this hilltop community proudly proclaimed their city “a bit of New England in the Midwest.”
Mt. Carroll today is a rural northwestern Illinois town (population 1,725) where downtown businesses are housed in big brick buildings with large, roll-down awnings to shade store windows, and where the local barber shop sports a red, white and blue barber pole. The community has an outstanding assortment of 19th Century architecture, including a number of homes and buildings that predate the Civil War. Much of Mt. Carroll is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mt. Carroll became the Carroll County seat in 1843 (an offer of $1,000 and 40 acres seems to have rallied the vote to move the county government from nearby Savanna). Portions of the present courthouse complex include the original courthouse, built in 1844. A “new” section, added in 1858, is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In summer, the courthouse lawn is the scene of occasional Friday evening or Sunday afternoon concerts, where double-dip ice cream cones are offered for 25 cents.
A soaring Civil War monument on the courthouse lawn is topped by a statue of a cavalry soldier and was designed and sculpted by famed Illinois sculptor Lorado Taft. So many Carroll County men died fighting for the Union cause–a total of 1,284–that it was necessary to add a small annex to the memorial to hold all the names. That feature got the monument listed in the pages of “Ripley’s Believe It or Not.” The community’s Main and Market Street business district, at the courthouse square, was built during the 1850s. In the 1870s and 1880s, a number of downtown buildings were faced with decorative galvanized sheet metal facades, designed and produced by the Mesker Brothers of St. Louis. Today, Mt. Carroll boasts one of the finest collections of the Mesker Brothers work in the United States.
The best way to enjoy the town’s rich architectural heritage is to follow a walking-driving tour of 33 historic sites outlined in the brochure, “Discover Mt. Carroll,” available free at several local businesses and at the community information center (in the lobby of Johnston Realty, Market Street, across from the courthouse). Homes and buildings showcased on the tour include Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Georgian Revival and other 19th Century architectural styles.
The tour includes such gems as the Galena Street Bridge, an iron, wooden-floored bridge built around the turn of the century by the Wrought Iron Bridge Co. of Canton, Ohio.
Once common on the Midwestern landscape, such bridges are becoming increasingly rare treasures. A 1912 city ordinance declared a $5 fine to be levied against those who passed over this bridge at a “rate of speed faster than a horse will walk.”
On Clay Street is the former Nita Snook home. Snook, an early female pilot, was the first flight instructor of famed aviator Amelia Earhart, and wrote a book, “I Taught Amelia to Fly.” Here, too, is the Judge James Shaw residence, built in 1870 and designed by Chicago architect Joseph L. Silsbee, perhaps best known as the mentor of architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
The Owen P. Miles home, on West Broadway, is today a museum operated by the Carroll County Historical Society. The gracious, brick vernacular Italianate home features period settings, beautiful furnishings and changing exhibits of local history.
The historical society also operates the Oakville Settlement Museum, a collection of early buildings located in a rural setting south of town. Offering glimpses of early life in Carroll County, the museum is open only by appointment. (Call the Owen P. Miles Museum about the availability of tours.)
You can celebrate the spirit of Halloween year-round in Mt. Carroll at the Raven’s Grin Inn, a “haunted house” set in a building that once held an 1870s inn. The “house” features seven levels of bizarre artwork, videos, mazes, slides and things that go bump in the night. Tours (60 to 90 minutes) can be tailored to various ages. Mt. Carroll’s best-known attraction is the Timber Lake Playhouse, one of Illinois’ oldest professional summer stock theaters. Founded in 1961, Timber Lake draws its talent from nationwide auditions, and offers seven productions in a season running from early June through late August. The playbill includes musicals, comedies, mysteries and dramas. The 400-seat, air-conditioned theater is located in a rustic setting just outside of town.
When it’s time to stretch your legs, Mississippi Palisades State Park, set atop the Mississippi River bluffs 10 miles west of Mt. Carroll, offers dazzling river views. The 2,500-acre park has picnic and playground areas, a campground, wooded ravines, rolling hills and more than 12 miles of hiking trails, including some that follow ancient Indian trails.
A visit to Mt. Carroll is a brief step back to an earlier day, to the warmth and charm of a small town where people still speak to strangers and where life moves a just a little more slowly. We could all use a little more of that.
DETAILS ON MT. CARROLL
Attractions
Owen P. Miles Museum, 107 W. Broadway; 815-244-3474. Open year round, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, noon-3 p.m. Sunday. Admission: $2 adults, $1 age 12 and under.
Timber Lake Playhouse, 8215 Black Oak Rd.; 815-244-2035. Located four miles south of town; take Illinois Highway 78 south to Timber Lake Road, then east to Black Oak Road and turn north. This years playbill: “Pump Boys & Dinettes” (June 5-15); “The Mousetrap” (June 19-29); “Crazy for You” (July 3-13); “I Hate Hamlet” (July 17-27); “Damn Yankees” (July 31-Aug. 10); “Love, Sex and the IRS” (Aug. 14-24); “Later Life” (Aug. 28-31). Curtain times: 7:30 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday, 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Wednesday and Sunday. Admission: $10 non-musicals, $12 musicals.
Raven’s Grin Inn, 411 N. Carroll St.; 815-244-4746. Open year-round. Summer hours: 2-5 p.m. and 7-11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, other times by reservation. Admission: $7 per person.
Mississippi Palisades State Park, 4577 Route 84 North, Savanna (three miles north of Savanna); 815-273-2731. Open 7:30 a.m.-sundown daily. Admission: free, camping fees vary.
Where to stay
Bed & Breakfasts
Country Palmer House, 17035 Elizabeth Rd., Mt. Carroll; 815-244-2343. Four rooms in a modernized 1911 farm home with private and shared baths; $50-$75 per night including breakfast.
Prairie Path Guest House, 1002 N. Lowden Rd., Mt. Carroll; 815-244-3462. Three rooms with private and shared baths; $70-$80 per night, including full breakfast.
The Farm, 8239 Mill Rd., Mt. Carroll; 815-244-9885. Three elegant suites with private baths and many amenities; $110-$135 per night including breakfast (two night minimum on weekends).
Motels
Carrollton Inn, 1 Carrollton Blvd., Mt. Carroll; 815-244-1000. Double room for $44-$54 per night.
Mt. Carroll Motel, 16747A U.S. Highway 52/Illinois Highway 64, Mt. Carroll; 815-244-9581. Double room for $39.50-$45.50 per night.
Information
Mt. Carroll is located approximately 130 miles west of Chicago. For more information, contact Mt. Carroll Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 94, Mt. Carroll, Ill. 61053; 815-244-9161 (phone is answered by Johnston Realty). Blackhawk Waterways Convention & Visitors Bureau also will send information; call 800-678-2108.
