For around 50 cents you could clamp skates to your shoe and tighten them with a key and skate the night away!

The upstairs also housed the New York Mills Public Library before their present building was erected in 1988. When the City planned the City Hall building, Mayor John Mark insisted it should include a public library. Needless to say it was originally a group of women who made a library happen. Founded in 1930, the New York Mills Women’s Club engaged in numerous civic improvement projects including the formation of the library in 1933. For years the Woman’s Club hosted a Silver Tea to raise money for the
library. Community members were “expected” to stop by for a cup of tea and a treat while, of course, leaving a donation. In 1958, the Candlelight Study Club took charge of managing the library. They evolved into New Horizons that supplied volunteers to run the library until the first paid employee was hired in 1985.

The basement of the City Hall, built by hand with horses and draglines, had its own purpose. Old timers remember bowling in the bowling alley. The basement, complete with a kitchen and seating areas, was also used to hold funerals and other events when the local church was too small. The main floor of the building was the home for the post office, local municipal liquor store and fire hall. A new fire hall was built next to the City Hall in 1998, opening up a spot on the City Hall’s main floor for the Senior Center.

To the east of the City Hall and Fire Hall lies the Clinic, built in 2001 and added on in 2007. Through the years, New York Mills was always fortunate to have both doctors and dentists, as well as a hospital from 1967-1983. The first doctor reportedly was Dr. Caniff, one of the signers of the petition for incorporation. Dr. Caniff had his home and office on the south side of the tracks somewhere in the area north of the former Trinity Lutheran Church and south of Central Park. Dr. Caniff had two ponies and was a familiar figure as he rode about taking care of his patients. He carried the traditional little black bag at his side and also doubled as a veterinarian. Dr. Caniff said of himself, “I take care of both man and beast.”