The Lorenzo Dow Fargo Free Public Library was designed by Milwaukee firm Ferry & Clas using English medieval motifs that were becoming popular with the emergence of Period Revival styles. Its exterior stone was gathered from the nearby fields of L.D. Fargo, a prominent Lake Mills businessman who gifted the library to the village. Volunteer labor helped to dig and transport the stone to the site.

Steeply pitched gable dormers jut through the roof and carry the stone wall material up into the roofline, dominating the building. A central entrance boldly projects from the face of the building. Its canopy is the most elaborate element of the exterior with tracery-like bargeboards supported by large brackets. The delicate cutwork of these bargeboards is mirrored above at each gable. The corner walls slope with buttress-like supports adding to the building¿s medieval flavor. The rectangular leaded-glass windows light the interior. An oriel window on the west façade is balanced on the east façade by a shallow bay that houses the fireplace beneath the chimney.

The library is the centerpiece of Lake Mills cultural life. L.D. Fargo and the village council wanted the library to be free with no distinction of society, nationality or color. Fargo wanted space for reading rooms, a museum, and rooms for other literary and scientific purposes. The Women¿s Club, who maintained the previous library and donated books for the library collection, was also given space in the library.

The library is still in operation and is open during regular hours.