Hamilton Primary School - Otterville, IL
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 39° 03.055 W 090° 23.841
15S E 725222 N 4325650
This site has been placed on Illinois ten most Endangered Historic Places list
Waymark Code: WMVJE4
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 04/25/2017
Views: 0
County of site: Jersey County
Location of site: 107 E. Main Otterville
"In 1834 Dr. Silas Hamilton, physician and humanitarian, bequeathed $4,000 for construction and operation of a building for educational and religious purposes. A stone school was opened in 1836, and the tuition-free education for local students attracted families to this area. The school was razed in 1872, rebuilt and enlarged, with the original stones at the base. Classes were held here until 1971. George Washington, a slave freed by Dr. Hamilton, studied here, became successful, and established a perpetual scholarship fund for Americans of African descent. He also provided for the erection of a monument to his former master." ~ Friends of the Hamilton School and the Illinois State Historical Society, 1982
"In the early 1800's, having failed at conducting a slave plantation in a humane way, Dr. Silas Hamilton, moved north from Mississippi and freed his slaves. In 1830, he settled in Otterville with three of his former slaves, George Washington and another couple. When Dr. Hamilton died in 1834, he left provisions in his will for the building and funding of a private school. This school became the first free integrated school in the United States. The school was originally built in 1835, and the present building was erected in 1873.
"After Dr. Hamilton's death, George Washington lived with the Gilbert Douglas family and became a successful farmer imbued with a strong sense of community spirit. When he died in 1864, he left a sizable estate with provisions for a monument to Dr. Hamilton and a trust fund for the education of "colored persons, or Americans of African descent." The trust fund is still in existence today.
"Dr. Hamilton, George Washington and Gilbert Douglas are buried in a crypt at the corner of Main and Hamilton. This is the only instance in the United States where a master and a slave are buried side by side. The monument to Dr. Hamilton is located next to the school and is the only monument dedicated to a master by his slave. The Otter Creek Historical Society holds an annual event in June to raise money to refurbish the school, which is in need of considerable repair. Check the June Calendar page for details. The school was placed on National Register of Historic Places in 1998." ~ The Great River Road