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| Monmouth has a very interesting and vibrant past and present. Many of the historical sites have been marked with markers and plaques around town. In addition, there are several buildings currently on the National Register of Historical Places. |
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| This historic building on the square in Monmouth has a long and interesting story. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a fine example of commercial architecture in the late 19th century. The building is undergoing a facelift thanks to local entreprenuer Paul Schuytema. The third floor is being renovated to serve as a Community Technology Center. The last business to occupy the third floor was a silent movie theatre. 100 years ago the space was a business based upon technology and it soon will be again. |
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| Ronald Reagan lived in monmouth in 1918 for a year and 1/2. He attended Central School while in Monmouth. His father worked at the bowman colwell department store selling shoes. Visiting Monmouth years later Reagan expressed fond memories of the town. Monmouth is now a member of the Ronald Reagan Trail. (http://www.ronaldreagantrail.net) |
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| This old cemetery located just west of Monmouth College is the oldest cemetery in town and has graves of the earliest settlers including relatives of the famed lawman Wyatt Earp. |
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| Built 1867 and named in honor of Quinby family which built the home and occupied it for nearly 100 years before deeding it to Monmouth College in 1965 to be used as a presidential residence. The Greek Revival/Italianate home occupies 1.63 acres of land and Contains approximately 20 rooms on three stories. The Quinby family has always had intimate ties with the college, beginning with the home’s builder, Ivory Quinby I, who was a college founder and original trustee. A judge, banker, lawyer and industrialist, Quinby was also one of the principals involved in bringing the C.B.&Q. Railroad through Monmouth in 1855. Designed by noted architect John Cochrane of Chicago, the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The home underwent a $600,000 renovation in 1996-97. |
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| The home of Judge James W. Stewart, whose daughter Minnie was a founder in 1870 of Kappa Kappa Gamma, arguably the second women’s fraternity to be organized in the United States. The organization’s charter and constitution were signed in this house. It is maintained by a non-profit foundation of Kappa alumnae, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. Open by appointment |
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| In 1841 a hearing was held in Monmouth to determine if Joseph Smith would be extradited to Missouri to face murder charges. Stephen Douglas was the judge that presided in the case and Abraham Lincoln, while not present for the hearing, worked on the prosecutors case for the state of Illinois. Smith was released the following day when it was determined that the original writ of habeas corpus had expired. |
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| The Soldier Monument was dedicated in 1909 to the veterans of the civil war. the monument includes on its base the name of every known Warren County Civil War veteran. It depicts a young volunteer soldier under light marching orders, heading southward. |
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| The Central Park Fountain was recently returned to the downtown park by the business council. |
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| This marker placed on the side of the current city hall at 100 East Broadway was placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution to commemorate a visit by Stephen Douglas during the 1858 debates. |
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| Five months before the more famous Great Chicago Fire of 1871 Monmouth suffered a similar catastrophe. Much of the NE and SE quadrants of the Public Square were destroyed. The fire resulted in $250,000 dollars worth of damage. |
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| Local legend Gracie Peterson used to perform at the theatre on South Main. |
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| This store was the height of luxury at the time and attests to the strength of the Monmouth economy prior to the great depression. |
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| In 1921, New York daredevil Oscar Babcock thrilled Monmouth crowds with a death-defying bicycle act, in which he rode down a three-story ramp erected in the 200 block of S. Main St., performing a loop-the-loop. During his visit, he met his future wife, a clerk in Colwell’s Department Store, and the couple later made Monmouth their home. |
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| Ralph Greenleaf, a native son of Monmouth, was one of the best pool players ever to play the game. He was inducted into the billiards hall of fame in 1966. Greenleaf was the reigning champion in pocket billiards (or pool as it is commonly called) from 1919 to 1924 and continued to be a prominent player until 1937 -- winning a total of 19 national championships. |
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| Established by German immigrant Remier Lahann the original company was incorporated in 1896 and became the Maple City Cigar Factory and Lahann became the first president. According to the advertisement above the company was producing more than 6 million cigars in 1894 two years before incorporation. |
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| This famous figure from the temperance movement also had ties to Monmouth. Carrie (or Carry as it is sometime spelled) was famous for her hatchet that she took to destroy saloons and their merchandise as she would sing hymns. |
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| On Sept. 3, 1856, Monmouth College held its first classes in a small one-room schoolhouse located at the southeast corner of First St. and First Ave. Classes met here for a few weeks until the college’s first permanent building was completed on North A St. |
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| The National Hotel, once occupying the corner of South First Street and East First ave, was home to famed Parisian dancer Loie Fuller (1862-1928). Her father, who also ran a dance school, purchased the hotel in 1874 and the family lived there for two years. Fuller was a visionary in the modern dance and art nouveau movements. She is best known for her "Serpentine Dance" she spent much of her career in Paris where her work was better recieved. She was also a pioneer in stage lighting and patented several inventions for lighting. |
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| This marker placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution commemorates a visit by Abraham Lincoln during the 1958 debates with Stephen Douglas. Lincoln gave a speech while in town and one of the most famous photographs of Lincoln without a beard was taken in Monmouth during this visit. |
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| Legendary Lawman of the O.k. Corrall, Wyatt Earp was born in Monmouth and his family would move several times but most of his childhood was spent here. The Wyatt Earp Birthplace Museum holds a shoot out each year to replicate the gunfight that has been memorialized in books and movies for over 100 years. |
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| The Martin House on East Broadway is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. The home has been lovingly restored by the current owner Dr. George Morris. |
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| This beautiful tudor home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One of the oldest properties in the city. The original house was a Greek Revival home built in 1851 by George W. Palmer, a spiritualist who, according to tradition, put the house high on a hill to keep people from looking in during seances. It was moved in 1894 to make way for the current house, built by industrialist William S. Weir, who founded the Weir Plow Company. |
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| Built in 1876 by carriagemaker John Carr, this house was originally Italianate in style with mansard roofs. Following Carr’s death in 1898, his three daughters took a tour of Europe, meeting such dignitaries as Queen Victoria. On a trip through France, they fell in love with the picturesque chateaus along the Loire River, and when they returned to Monmouth, decided to remodel their home in a similar style. The Carr daughters, who never married, lived out the rest of their lives in the house. |
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