Welcome to the City of
Mount Carroll, Illinois

Mount Carroll is the county seat of Carroll County Illinois, in the northwest corner of the state. Located approximately 10 miles from the Mississippi River, the town was chosen to be county seat because of a grain mill built in a bend of the scenic Wakarusa River. As one of the few communities in the county that has managed to maintain most of its historic architecture, the Downtown Historic District looks similar today as it looked 50 years ago; the brick streets lend our community the look, feel, and appeal of towns that are increasingly difficult to find as life moves away from Main Street to interstate by-passes.
IL-78, a major north to south artery, runs through Mount Carroll, and often people stop on their way to Galena and are pleasantly surprised at what they find. We are near IL-64/US 52, which will take you east to Dixon and Freeport or west to the Mississippi River. Centrally located but also off the beaten path, Mount Carroll embodies the kind of small town charm that draws people in when urban landscapes get to be too loud, too gray, too bound up, and too busy.

Community Caring

Over the past few several years, Mount Carroll has grown into a town that attracts residents who are not only farmers, retired folk and families with children, but musicians, artists, and artisans who earn a living from the things they create; long known as a summer stop-off for antique hunters, Mount Carroll also offers the quality arts and crafts of local artists and artisans who have settled in the area because of its scenic beauty and eclectic appeal. In recent years, the venues for live local music have become a stopping point not only for talented local and regional musicians, but also for musicians from as far flung as Nashville, Tennessee. 

Community Sharing

Mount Carroll has also long been the home of Timber Lake Playhouse, the region’s only Professional Summer Theatre. And if you want to spend a night or two, there’s local lodging with all the care and character you won’t find in typical chain hotels and motels. If a comfortable bed for the night is too fancy for your tastes, or if you have a camper, there are camping grounds vailable not far from town. If haunted houses and ghost stories are more to your liking, Mount Carroll is home to the only year-round continually run haunted houses in the region, Raven’s Grin. Depending on the night, you can bowl a few frames at the Mount Carroll Bowling Center, take in some live music at Charlie’s and find some fine food and interesting people in between. And if all you want is a good cup of coffee, stop by Brick Street Coffee, located in the Main Street Market (also called the Kraft Building). You can also stop by the Welcome Center – which is also conveniently located in the Kraft Building – for up to date information on the goings on about town. 

Announcements:

May 2015: We'll be raffling a Thomas Booth Painting of Mount Carroll at Mayfest. Click here to see more about this beautiful piece of artwork.

November 2014:  Check out this beautifully done drone fly-over of Mount Carroll.

October 2014: Pumpkin Fest was a big success. Many thanks for making this such a successful event. For your enjoyment, here two high def videos:
video1 and video2 of the races.
The videos are large files and make take a while to download. If you have trouble opening them, try the lower quality versions:
video1 and video2.

January 2013: Mount Carroll made it on the top "Coolest Small Town in America" list!