Photos of the former Carthage College/Robert Morris campus now on Flickr
June 6th, 2010 by Rural_Rose
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.
Alison 
Her GLX 2 
Dave 
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.
Thx for the photos and story. I attended RMC from 1969-1971.Many, many fond memories.I was very saddened to hear about what happened to RMC over the years.It is a shame the school had to be closed.I shall always remember the college , the town, and most of all the many great friends I met during that period.Thx again for everything you have done here.
I grew up in Carthage (mid 50′s to mid 70′s) and after retiring from the Air Force in 1995 moved back home with my family. I have a lot of memories of the Carthage College/RMC campus, buildings and activities. As a grade schooler in the early 60′s I remember taking a field trip to the college museum before it was purchased by Dr. Kibbe and moved to her home/museum on Scofield St. We had student teachers from Carthage College (3rd grade, I think…just before the move to Kenosha).
I remember going to football games at the field behind the fieldhouse, both Carthage College Redmen and Carthage High School Blueboy games. As a young teen, I attended many RMC basketball games in the packed fieldhouse and played many pickup games there with my friends on Sunday afternoons as well as pickup football games on the field. The field is now planted with crops and the fieldhouse is beyond repair and will eventually be torn down.
One of the bright spots of the old campus now is the auditorium. In its early days it hosted the president of Kiwanis International when the first Circle K Club was organized as well as many concerts (Ted Nugent!). When I was in high school I was an Indian in the play Annie Get Your Gun which was performed there. The auditorium fell into the same blighted condition as the rest of the campus but a few years ago the campus was purchased by an ag business who donated the auditorium and attached building to Carl Sandburg. After a great deal of effort, time and money from Carl Sandburg, a local car dealer (Rob Carson), and the community the auditorium has been returned to its former glory.
Although many of the former campus buildings have been or will be destroyed, several others have been or will be renovated and repurposed. The former dorm across the street from the fieldhouse has been redone and now houses offices and conference rooms for the ag business that bought the property. I believe some work has also been done on the building that housed the student union.
Dollar General recently purchased the southwest corner of the property and have broken ground for a new store. I’ve heard that it will be unique for a Dollar General in that it will have a brick exterior to blend in with remaining college buildings. Although it’s sad to see some of the places of my childhood disappear, it’s nice to see a connection to the past maintained.