former Carthage College/Robert Morris campus field house
Originally uploaded by Rural Rose
I’ve posted some photos of the current state of the former Carthage College/Robert Morris campus in Carthage, IL on my Flickr page.
Carthage College was the site of the first Circle K club in the U.S., had several prominent alumni, and was home of legendary biology professor Alice Kibbe. But the college eventually was moved to Kenosha, WI, and the former campus in Carthage (my home town) fell on hard times, including being bought by a mysterious Korean absentee landlord who could not be found for most of the 90′s and 00′s.
- Read more about that weird legacy and see some photos of the destruction inside one of the buildings here.
- Find out more of Carthage College’s history here.
Please leave comments if you remember life at Carthage College or Robert Morris and have any details or memories to share.
Tags: abandoned, CarthageCollege, local_history
When I ran the Strawberry Strut (June 12), we saw some folks sorting and stacking bricks from a demolished building onto pallets. It looked like construction crews had separated debris into several containers as well.
Thanks for your account and pictures of the former Carthage College campus. In some ways, abandoned college campuses (and schools) are the saddest of all because college represents the promise of a better future through education.
Dear Nick, thanks so much (belatedly) for your comment and encouragement. I haven’t heard much response to my coverage (or attempts to cover) of the downfall, and then attempts to refurbish, the old campus. I’m so glad to know that someone else sees the particular sadness of the ghost-town qualities of the very place that, as you said, once represented such promise.
Wow…I attended Robert Morris in 1985/86…Had a lot of memories there. I was originally disappointed when they closed the campus and this is just so sad.
thanks for these wonderful (but sad) pictures!! I attended RMC in 1982 and it is with fond memories that I look back on that time. It’s truly sad that the campus deteriorated so badly and buildings had to be demolished. The campus had character and charm. I’ve thought about taking a road trip back there with my kids- but don’t know if I would want to see it now. The memories I have are so wonderful. Thank you for taking the time to document “the past”. The town of Carthage was just as welcoming to all of the students – and because of that – I never missed home!
Paula,
I’m glad you found the post and commented. Also very glad to hear that you found the town itself to be welcoming. You might be happy to hear that a local businessman from Carthage led the charge to get the auditorium up and running again. It has since been renovated and, as part of a partnership w/ the Carl Sandburg College (community college district in the area) is showing movie series and hosting some other events like musical performances. There is also a large hog-farming operation that has purchased some of the remaining buildings for administrative purposes.
Once again, thanks so much for leaving a comment. It still bothers me to know that such a historic (or at least nostalgic for so many people) place was allowed to go to shambles. But it is good to see some life going back into the auditorium, at least.