How Higher Education Shaped Early Forgottonia
By - Harry Bulkeley
When folks first came to Forgottonia, most of them were farmers, and few had much interest in formal education. Yet, some settlers came out here specifically to establish schools. With the idea of primary or public schools still several decades in the future, these folks were intent on establishing colleges, many of which were for the purpose of training ministers who were in short supply out here on the frontier.
Galesburg was actually founded specifically for the establishment of Knox College. George Washington Gale wanted to start a school for farm boys who didn't have money for tuition. Gale's plan was to have the students work on farms owned by the college to earn their tuition. That may not have worked as planned, but the college survived and is still here today.
What many people don't know is that Galesburg and Knox County were home to several colleges. Little Abingdon (Number One City in the State of Illinois) once had three. There was Abingdon College, which eventually merged with Eureka College, and Hedding College was folded into Illinois Wesleyan. Just north of town was also a Cumberland Presbyterian seminary in Cherry Grove. (Incidentally, a resident of Cherry Grove moved west and was one of the founders of Seattle and the University of Washington.)
Galesburg called itself "College City" because, in addition to Knox, the Universalist church established Lombard University on the east end of town. Downtown was the Western Business College, which taught practical subjects like penmanship and telegraphy- things every bright young man of business needed to know.
Knoxville had the Ewing Female University, which became St. Mary's Episcopal School for Women. Ansgari College was a Swedish Lutheran college in K-ville. There was almost a third college, The Knox Agricultural School, which was funded by prominent Knoxville resident James Knox. Unfortunately, the college didn't get off the ground, and the money went back east to Yale.
One of the great "What ifs" for Forgottonia is that the University of Illinois almost came to Galesburg. In 1863, the legislature was considering where to put the state's land grant college and even took a preliminary vote to split it between Galesburg's Knox College and Alton's Shurtliff College. Before a final vote could be taken, they adjourned for the summer, and when they came back, the tiny hamlets of Urbana and Champaign had twisted enough arms (or greased enough palms) that they became the home of the University of Illinois.
After World War II, Galesburg did have a branch of the U of I in the old Mayo General Army Hospital. The G.I. Bill necessitated opening several new branches for the returning soldiers. The Galesburg branch is recognized as the first handicap-accessible campus in the world.
The Civil War put a great deal of stress on the Presbyterian Monmouth College shortly after it was founded. Virtually all the male students enlisted to fight for the Union. Eventually, they had enough students and money to build the campus on the east side. It was always co-ed and two national sororities, Pi Beta Phi and Kappa Kappa Gamma, were founded at Monmouth.
There was a fierce struggle over where Western Illinois University would go. Besides Macomb, Monmouth, La Harpe, Quincy, and Aledo were trying to get the legislature to choose them. The Freemasons in Macomb gave the land to the state, and the Western Illinois State Normal School opened there in 1899. A "Normal" school was designed to train teachers. It was not a commentary on the citizens of Macomb. (Those of you who live there know there's not much normal about most of them.)
Colleges were regarded as a civilizing force when Forgottonia was the western frontier. The idea of publicly funded secondary schools took root here a few years later, thanks in large part to the “civilized” college folks’ appreciation of the need for education.