1846-1859
Judson College
Mount Palatine, Putnam County, Illinois IL
Baptist businessman Christopher Winters donated the land in north-central Illinois that would become the second Judson College. After participating in the Black Hawk War, Winters settled in the area now called Putnam County in 1839 where his house was known as The Baptist Tavern because of his willingness to host itinerate preachers passing through the area. When the Illinois Central railroad decided not to extend its tracks westward from Tonica, area leaders determined to make a name for the community by becoming an educational center rather than a railroad center. Elder Thomas Powell, the Baptist pastor in the community, platted a town and set aside a large plot measuring 568 feet by 566 feet for the educational edifice of a Baptist college. Rev. Powell named the land gifted by Winters “Mount Palatine” for one of the hills upon which Rome was built.
Judson College was originally chartered as Mount Palatine Academy in 1846, under the auspices of local Baptists with Rev. Otis Fisher as the first superintendent. Fisher had previously been a teacher at Granville Academy before that school closed for lack of support. Baptists in the Mount Palatine area constructed a two-story brick building and at one point hosted over 140 students in its early enrollment.
In the winter of 1850-51 Mount Palatine Academy changed its name and began doing business as Judson College. (Adoniram Judson had died on April 12, 1850.) The founding superintendent, Rev. Otis Fisher, gave way to the new president, William Sanderson, A.B., and a bulletin advertised:
This institution possesses the advantages of a pleasant and healthy location, new and commodious buildings, and of being removed from the vicious influences to which the young are exposed in cities and larger villages.[1]
The local trustees seemed to think this name change to Judson College would be advantageous publicly and would negate any financial liabilities assumed under the previous name of Mount Palatine Academy. But in a lawsuit vs Kleinschnitz the Illinois Supreme Court said “not so” meaning the new Judson College was obligated to pay the debts and maintain the contracts of the previous institution.[2]
Mounting debts from both the academy and the college plus the fact that there was no river nor railroad running through Mt. Palatine doomed the future of the village and thus the future of the second Judson College. The college closed and its property was sold by the sheriff on December 8, 1859. Founder Christopher Winters died three days later on December 11. The Catholics in the area bought the property of Judson College with a condition in the sale that the buyers should maintain a permanent school on the property. Failure to do so would cause the property to revert to the original owners. (Compiler’s note: Hmmm..)
Judson College alum Robert Maclay (1834-1898) became a wealthy business and urban development executive in New York. Judson professor Coates Kinney (1826-1904), author of the poem “Rain on the Roof”, was appointed by Abraham Lincoln as paymaster for the US Army during the Civil War.[3] The Mount PalatineCemetery is in the northwest part of the “onetime town” of Mount Palatine and is the resting place for several of the founders of Judson College. The cemetery is not accessible to the public and has been returned to a natural prairie nature preserve.[4]
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[1] George O. Davis, Mt. Palatine History (Written for the Tonica News in 1885—71 years ago). Published by the Tonica (Illinois) News, 1956, p. 7.
[2] Rich, Burdett A.; Wailes, M. Blair, eds. (1920). “Mt. Palatine Academy vs. Kleinschnitz, 28 Ill. 133”. American Law Reports, Annotated. Vol. VIII. Rochester, N.Y: Lawyers Co-operative Pub. Co. p. 582.
[3] George O. Davis, p. 8.
[4] http://www.interment.net/data/us/il/putnam/palatine/index.htm