Beecher Hall - Jacksonville, IL
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 39° 43.869 W 090° 14.904
15S E 735811 N 4401539
Two literary societies now use this building, which some say is haunted. Sigma Pi meet on upper floor, Phi Alpha meet on the lower floor. William Jennings Bryan is one famous alumni.
Waymark Code: WM17PJ7
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 03/20/2023
Views: 0
County of Building: Morgan County.
Location of Building: W. College Ave., Beecher Hall, Illinois College campus, Jacksonville
UGRR Marker Placed by: The National Park Service & National Underground Railroad Network To Freedom
Date Marker Placed: December 12, 2005.
Medical Marker Placed by: Morgan-Scott County Medical Society
Date Medical Marker Placed: 1979
Text of Three Markers on Building:
In this building Illinois College established the first medical school in Illinois in 1841; opened to students November 1843; closed 1848.
Illinois College
BEECHER HALL
Built 1829.
First College Building in Illinois.
Named for Edward Beecher
First President, 1839-1844.
Illinois College
Beecher Hall 1829.
NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD SITE
The National Park Service has evaluated this site as making a significant contribution to the understanding of the Underground Railroad in American history and it meets the requirements for inclusion in the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.
In 1856, the structure was given the name of the college's first president, Edward Beecher -- brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Today, after a major restoration in 1991, Beecher Hall continues to be the heart of Illinois College, as it has been for more than 160 years.
Illinois College was prominent in the abolitionist movement. President Beecher was an outspoken opponent of slavery. A grand jury indicted a group of students for harboring runaway slaves and two campus houses are believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad.