{"nrhp_refnum":"66000323","name":"Old Main, Knox College","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Knox College campus","address_restricted":false,"city":"Galesburg","county":"Knox County","state":"IL","lat":40.94336800000008,"lon":-90.37069182699997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1966-10-15","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1961-07-04","areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Old Main is the oldest building on the Knox College campus in Galesburg, Illinois, a square three-story Tudor Gothic building of red brick and limestone designed by Charles Ulricson and completed in July 1857.","why_significant":"Old Main and the adjoining grounds are described as the best-preserved site associated with the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates. The fifth debate took place on October 7, 1858, from a platform built across the east facade, before an estimated 15,000 people. Lincoln spoke there of slavery as a moral issue, and the college openly backed him.","narrative":"Old Main, the oldest building on the Knox College campus in Galesburg, Illinois, was designed by Peoria architect Charles Ulricson and completed in July 1857. Built in a Tudor Gothic manner modeled on parts of Hampton Court Palace, it is a square, three-story structure of rose brick and limestone with crenelated towers, mullioned windows and a white wooden belfry. On October 7, 1858, it was the setting for the fifth Lincoln-Douglas debate. A platform stretched across the east facade, and about 15,000 people listened from the lawn. Lincoln argued there that slavery was a moral issue, and a banner read 'Knox College for Lincoln.' The building decayed by the 1930s and was restored from 1933 to 1938, with a new concrete and steel interior inside the old brick walls. A 1969 tornado removed part of the roof and the belfry, which were later rebuilt. Today it holds offices and classrooms. It is regarded as the best-preserved debate site.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Charles Ulricson, architect","architectural_style":"Tudor Gothic","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still in use as college offices and classrooms; exterior restored 1933-1938 and the roof and belfry rebuilt after a 1969 tornado.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.688313-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/10/8916/28891610/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/66000323_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000323/f8133a25dc-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000323/f8133a25dc-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Jimmy Thomas","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Main_Knox_College.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jimmy Thomas</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Main_Knox_College.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"76000715","name":"Galesburg Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/illinois/galesburg-historic-district-76000715/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891610","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Main,_Knox_College","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7084417"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/knox-county/old-main-knox-college-66000323/"}