I’ve been trying for quite some time now to tell you the strange story about what happened to the old Carthage College campus.
I’ve tried to tell you–in words–why the story is kind of a big deal, and just how drastic things had become at the former college in my tiny hometown (Carthage, IL). But lo and behold, the cliche comes true: a picture tells a thousand words. Or in this case, a set of photos.
The shots below were taken inside the old Carthage College auditorium, which is finally being restored after having been left for dead in the 1990′s, a fact which I have blogged about rather extensively.)
I recently discovered (via Flickr) this set taken inside the abandoned auditorium building (quite awhile before the restoration was being planned). They tell, on their own, the destruction that was allowed to happen at this once-prosperous place: (please check out this slideshow below)
Like I said, the pix say it all. But here’s a super-quick re-cap:
- Carthage College (now located in Kenosha, WI), was originally located in my hometown (Carthage IL), but picked up and left town because the existing location was so out-of-the-way (so deep in the Forgotonia region) that Chicago students couldn’t get there easily.
- Carthage College had been a fairly prestigious little school. Interestingly, (as this week’s news story says), the first-ever chapter of Circle K was started there. Most people who know of the liberal arts school now located near Chicago have no idea where its name comes from.
- After the campus closed, Robert Morris moved in and then left, and then a strange, strange saga began (including the “Carthage International College” chapter), eventually ending in the campus being left to rot and crumble for many years. There’s even a photo in this set of a luggage tag left behind by the seemingly on-the-lam Korean “owner,” who virtually disappeared after buying—and abandoning—the campus property.
The photos were taken by Craig Finlay, one of my fellow WIU English-program graduate students.
Craig has a hobby of, um… trespassing in abandoning buildings to shoot the decadent art that lies inside. If you haven’t already watched the slideshow above, check out the set here (to read the cutlines and get some details).
I am so that happy that leaders in my hometown are investing the time, money, and concern into fixing the place up. Last week’s Hancock County Journal-Pilot (my hometown paper) featured an update on the progress of restoring the old auditorium building.
Do you remember the old Carthage College, or Robert Morris, or Carthage International College, or made-up-university-that-solicited-funds-via-the-Internet? Tell me in the comments below!
Tags: Carthage, HancockCounty, landmarks, pics
I was very little when we got to your present Forgotonia back in the early 90′s. Carthage was where I first learned to use computers for animation (with the apple 2′s). I was literally around 8-10 years old. I think I might still have a tape from back in the day with footage from a drama play in the auditorium. Sadly, the tapes are on the other side of the world now, where the “international” part of the college came from. I hope I can be of some help, but I am no where near any of the material that can be helpful… it’s all pre-digital, and I can’t personally convert them from over here. I do remember we didn’t return cause it was going bankrupt. Even so, it was nowhere near its later incredibly poor state. We went back a few years ago and found it in the same state as the pictures you posted, vandalized and uncared for. It truly saddened me to see a place that used to be so full of life and fun so abandoned and forgotten. We walked all over the campus and saw how people had broken in and torn it apart, as well as fallen branches blocking some exits. I’d love to visit again and help with the re-conditioning efforts.