A College that became a park

Mrs. Nash is a native of Central Illinois. She received a B.A. degree in English from Knox College and an M.A. degree in Education from Bradley University. She is a former elementary teacher in the Peoria Public School System. As a free lance writer, her specialties are in the area of travel and local history. She resides in rural Knox County, near Maquon.

How many colleges have been made into state parks? A guess would be that not many have. In Central Illinois, one noteworthy example exists-Jubilee College. In 1840, when Episcopal Bishop Philander Chase came west to establish his small learning center on the prairie, he could scarcely have foreseen that almost a century and a half later, thousands of tourists would visit the tree-shaded campus yearly. Still less could he visualize hundreds of campers parking cumbersome motor homes or setting up tents in the valley below. No doubt he would be pleased at public interest in his experiment, but saddened that students no longer roam the halls of the old main building.

During the early and middle 1800's, many religious groups in the eastern United States decided to spread their particular faith and educate the young at the same time by expanding westward. In Illinois, George Washington Gale arrived in what was to be Galesburg with his followers in 1836. He laid out a town and established a manual labor college which is Knox College. Illinois College was established at Jacksonville in 1840 and at one time had Edward Beecher, brother of the famed Henry Ward Beecher, as president. In Abingdon, the Methodists founded a small denominational college, Hedding, which is now defunct. Later they established Illinois Wesleyan which still flourishes. Sizeable towns grew up around each of them. Jubilee, however, remained alone on its hillside. The Civil War interrrupted its progress, and afterwards it could not recover.

A college without students that continues to educate

Illinois Parks and Recreation       6       May/June 1982

The ancient art of candlemaking resurrected annually at the Old English Faire.

It would seem that the state of Illinois is commemorating a failure. To the present-day visitor, however, the one existing building set in the midst of widespread grounds appears as a tiny jewel sparkling on the prairie. What an insurmountable task it must have seemed to the determined leader and his cohorts to lay out the facilities for a college on the sparsely settled land. The effort required to gather the materials and to set about building a place to house the students and to teach them the required minute planning must have been tremendous. Native limestone blocks had to be hauled to the remote location and put into place following the Gothic style that Bishop Chase visualized. Nevertheless, a fine, multi-purpose building resulted. One wing was a dormitory, another housed classrooms, and at one end was a charming little chapel. Thus the three sections could nourish body, mind, and soul respectively.

Actually the victory of two groups can be celebrated at Jubilee College. The founders accomplished their purpose—to set up and maintain a religiously oriented college, even though it was ultimately be be short-lived. The restorers—a cluster of people living in the area—finally are in the process of rescuing the deteriorating structure from the ruinous effects of wind and weather. However, unlike the good Bishop, whose efforts ended prematurely, their work continues.

It has been an uphill struggle and a less determined group would have given up long ago. The building had barely survived the years at all. The state was slow to help financially, and when the legislature did appropriate funds, very little actual cash trickled down for restoration because other projects received priority. Finally the walls, which threatened to collapse, were shored up, and the roof and windows were repaired, so at least rain and snow did not enter the structure.

These dedicated people, "The Citizens to Preserve Jubilee College", sought contributions, held bake sales, and raised money in every way that they could. The exterior of the entire structure shows the effects of their restoration as does the interior of the chapel. Much time and money must still be spent on the inside of the main part of the building. Still, one can look at the plain, dignified architecture and feel the presence of history of an almost forgotten chapter of early American education.

A reminder of one man's vision.

The surroundings of the defunct college are another story. Here, the state has spared no expense to make this lovely campus functional as a park. The top of the hill is dotted with picnic tables and fireplaces and centered with a shelter for outdoor eating. The deep and lengthy ravine back of the college building offers trails to follow. A cross-country skiing trail leads into the park. A ranger's office, home, and water and rest-rooms for campers adjoins the picnic grounds. Camp sites are located mainly below the hill, but some are scattered on the top and side of the hill. A playground and baseball field are in the valley. The lovely picturesque cemetery is kept up so that visitors can walk about and read the inscriptions on the tombstones of those who came here first, including Bishop Chase.

A winding drive circles the park. It emerges onto a blacktop road appropriately named Jubilee. Traveling north, this cross-county highway leads to Princeville. South and much closer, it proceeds over the old iron bridge across Kickapoo Creek to U.S. Route 150. Its entry onto this highway is between the town of Kickapoo and Brimfield. At either town, Interstate 74 may be reached.

If the tourist is fortunate enough to be in the vicinity on a designated weekend in June, an "Olde English Faire" takes place. Booths are set up by various groups and individuals, who make items by hand and offer them for sale. It is not the usual flea market, but a collection of finely crafted leather, wood, or metals goods. Also, amateur performers present skits, dances, songs, and even mock battles, all showing bits of life in medieval England.

This writer grew up in nearby Galesburg, and remembers when the grounds of old Jubilee College were quiet and deserted. Who could picture the place as a scene of such merriment as now takes place in the park? Times have certainly changed since the days of the solemn Bishop Chase and his devoted flock.

Illinois Parks and Recreation    7     May/June 1982