 |
Update Business Info |  |
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
Driving Directions | |
|
||
|
|
||
|
||
|
What's Nearby | |
|
||
|
|
||
|
||
|
Send to Friend | |
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
 | Gail Borden Public Library District |
Elgin, IL 60120
(847) 742-2411
View Website
Description:
Gail Borden was not a woman despite the spelling of his first name. He never lived in Elgin, and he never donated funds for the library which bears his name. How
Hours of Operation:
7 Days A Week Daily Everyday
Additional Info:
Learning Is A Journey.
Start It Here!
Business Categories:
Libraries
Gail Borden was not a woman despite the spelling of his first name. He never lived in Elgin, and he never donated funds for the library which bears his name. How
his
name
became
attached
to
our
library
is
as
fascinating
and
complex
as
the
man
himself.Born
in
New
York
in
1801,
Borden
found
his
way
to
the
province
of
Texas
as
a
young
man
where
he
farmed
and
published
a
newspaper.
His
newspaper
supported
the
Texas
independence
movement
and
he
became
associated
with
such
historic
figures
as
Stephen
Austin
and
Sam
Houston.
After
struggling
with
various
other
enterprises
in
Texas
and
New
York,
Gail
Borden
had
suffered
the
death
of
his
wife
and
was
near
financial
ruin.
Finally,
at
the
age
of
55,
after
years
of
experimentation,
Borden
was
a
awarded
a
patent
for
condensed
milk.Although
the
patent
was
awarded
in
1856,
it
was
not
until
1861
that
financing
was
secured
and
the
first
plant
was
operational.
Condensed
milk,
initially
sold
from
handcarts
in
New
York
City,
became
an
immediate
success
in
urban
areas
where
fresh
milk
was
difficult
to
distribute
and
store.
As
the
company
began
to
prosper,
Borden's
life
took
another
turn
he
met
and
married
Eunice
Church,
a
widow
with
two
sons.
The
Church
family
had
once
lived
in
Elgin,
Illinois,
prior
to
the
death
of
Hiram
Church,
an
early
settler
in
this
area.When
his
new
wife
described
the
Fox
Valley
area
to
Borden,
it
seemed
the
ideal
location
for
expansion
of
his
company
to
the
West,
and
in
1865
the
Elgin
Milk
Condensing
Company
was
established.
Borden
visited
often
but
never
lived
in
Elgin.
He
bought
a
home
on
Division
Street
in
1873,
but
failing
health
led
him
back
to
Texas,
where
he
died
in
1874.
By
1892,
the
citizens
of
Elgin
were
desperately
seeking
a
building
for
the
library
which
had
barely
survived
for
years
in
rented
rooms
in
the
downtown
area.
Samuel
and
Alfred
Church,
residents
of
Elgin
and
stepsons
of
Gail
Borden,
offered
to
purchase
and
donate
the
Scofield
mansion
at
50
N.
Spring
Street
for
this
purpose.
All
they
asked
was
that
the
library
"be
forever
and
always
known
and
called
the
Gail
Borden
Public
Library."Today
we
still
bear,
with
great
pride,
this
name
which
has
become
synonymous
with
our
local
library.
This
is
how
we
acquired
our
name,
and
this
is
why
so
many
people
use
phrases
that
would
be
incomprehensible
outside
the
Elgin
area,
such
as:
"I'm
taking
the
kids
to
Gail
Borden
today.
< Show Less
< Show Less
Hours of Operation:
7 Days A Week Daily Everyday
Additional Info:
Learning Is A Journey.
Start It Here!
Business Categories:
Libraries
 |
My Excellent Adventure at Legal Sea Foods in Boston
By Switchboard User |
 |
||
|
|
|
|||
 |
Return to thumbnail view
 |
 |
||
|
View All Photos
Click on photos below to enlarge |
|
|
|
||
|
|
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
User Feedback
0
 
 Business Details
60
Be the First to Review |
 Search for Nearby...
|
