{"nrhp_refnum":"72000465","name":"Jubilee College","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"NW of Kickapoo on U.S. 150 and I-74","address_restricted":false,"city":"Kickapoo","county":"Peoria County","state":"IL","lat":40.82767286300006,"lon":-89.77731875285355,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-01-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Gothic-style sandstone chapel, library and dormitory complex forming the former Jubilee College, northwest of Kickapoo on U.S. Highway 150 and I-74 in Peoria County, Illinois. The cornerstone was laid April 3, 1839.","why_significant":"The complex was founded by Bishop Philander Chase, who had earlier founded Kenyon College in Ohio, and was among the earliest educational institutions in Illinois. The college included a theological department, a college, a boys' preparatory school and a girls' seminary. Its students included Adlai Stevenson and James Ewing. The building is also recognized for its architecture.","narrative":"Jubilee College, northwest of Kickapoo in Peoria County, Illinois, is a sandstone complex of chapel, library and dormitory built in the Gothic style. The chapel is cross-shaped, with lancet windows, latticed panes and recessed portals. Builders used dressed native sandstone quarried nearby and local timber, while door and window frames, glass and nails came by water to Peoria and then overland. Bishop Philander Chase, founder of Kenyon College in Ohio, bought the land in 1838, and the chapel cornerstone was laid on April 3, 1839. The college opened in 1840 with a theological department, a college, a boys' preparatory school and a girls' seminary. It was among the earliest educational institutions in Illinois and counted Adlai Stevenson and James Ewing among its students. After Chase died in 1852 it declined, and a fire in 1858 hurt enrollment. In 1933, 96 acres were donated to the State of Illinois. The dormitory wall has partly collapsed, though the chapel and library are in better condition.","period_of_significance":"19th Century","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Gothic","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as deteriorated and unoccupied; restored in 1952 but allowed to deteriorate, with the State of Illinois planning restoration. The dormitory wing has a collapsed wall.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.396778-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/45/8938/28893845/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/72000465.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000465/1fac5f3622-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000465/1fac5f3622-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Wonderrenae","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jubilee_College.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Wonderrenae</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jubilee_College.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893845","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubilee_College_State_Park","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6301834"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/peoria-county/jubilee-college-72000465/"}