Jennings Seminary
Website: http://www.illinoishsglorydays.com/id682.html
History
The Jennings Story…Compiled by Vernon Derry, 1972
Over a century ago, on the hill where old Jennings Terrace building stood through many changing years, life was far different from that which we are now accustomed. Houses were far apart — woods stretched down to the river — springs and brooks trickled thru the brush covered slope — a stone quarry across the way — trains were drawn by tiny puffing engines — smart looking phaetons with high-stepping horses — men with high-topped silk hats and Prince Alberts — women with wide flowing skirts and queer shaped bonnets. But hearts beat high with hopes of a great nation – The prairies and mountains of the far west were calling; the lure of the new found gold drew pioneer men and women to seek fabulous fortunes. But the rich soil of Illinois held prospects of slower but more certain prosperity. The present city of Aurora was a growing, ambitious village of some seven thousand people. In fact, Aurora was two villages: Aurora and West Aurora. The old Jennings building was started when these two villages voted to become the City of Aurora. Perhaps we should start at the very beginning of the Jennings story.
The Reverend John Clark became an ordained Methodist Minister in his native New York state in the early 1820’s, but eventually left the pulpit of a wealthy church to become a missionary among the Indians of northern Illinois before the white man settled the area. Later he became pastor of the Clark Street M.E. Church of Chicago and was founder of Great Biblical Institute (which later became a part of Northwestern University) and the Mount Morris (Ill.) Seminary. Reverend Clark was determined to promote a Christian high school and chose the Fox Valley for its location. Thus enthused, while pastor of the Chicago Church, he planted his ideas in the minds of leading citizens of Aurora and moved to this city, building one of the first homes near the Seminary. (Clark Street in Chicago was named for him) Rev. John Clark died in Aurora in 1854 during a cholera epidemic before any decisive action had been taken on the proposed school. His remains were interred in the old Root Street Cemetery. His plans, however, were carried forward by the men who had supported them.
In February 1855 the Charter for the proposed school was procured through the efforts of Benjamin Hackney, our representative to the legislature. Hon. Hackney was one of Aurora’s most prominent citizens in those days and contributed much toward Aurora’s growth and prosperity. The first decisive board meeting was held at the exchange bank of A. Jenks & Co. The board members present were Daniel McCarty, Benjamin Hackney, J.H. Lathrop, J.R. Baker, Jesse McDole, W.P. Richardson and Levi Jenks. At this meeting a committee was appointed to select a site for the seminary. Both sides of the village were keenly interested in securing the school, however, the site at Broadway and North Avenue was selected and the grounds purchased in September, 1855.
Bids for the foundation were called for in February 1856 when the trustees announced that the $25,000 required by charter had been subscribed. The contract was let to Corwin & Co. for $4,220. Work started in April of 1856, and finished in August. Methodist Bishops, Simpson and Jones delivered eloquent addresses at the corner stone laying ceremony in September. Music was furnished by a newly formed Aurora Brass Band led by Carl Eitelgeorge. The trustees made arrangements to increase the amount of stock subscriptions to $55,000 so that construction might be started.
The contract for the building was let to Hodgeman & Babcock of Fort Edward, N.Y., in 1857. One year later the keys were turned over to the trustees. A series of financial embarrassments followed. Collections were slow coming in and the bills were piling up and had to be paid. The board members shouldered the responsibility of personally paying all indebtedness.The directors thought it might bring in necessary revenue by purchasing land south-west of the Seminary and sell lots. While this plan worked later in Aurora’s history, it produced little for the school. Plat books of Aurora still show Clark Seminary Addition.
School began in the fall of 1858 with the operation of a small school while the rest of the seminary was being furnished and a faculty hires. Miss Jemima Washburn, then in charge of Fowler Institute at Newark, Illinois, assisted by three other ladies, taught the 40 pupils. Miss Washburn remained as principal that first school year, until June 14, 1859.In the meantime, George W. Quereau left his teaching position in East Greenwich, Rhode Island to accept the office of principal at the new Clark Seminary. He served in this capacity from 1859 until 1873. No one person contributed so much to the success of the seminary as did Professor Quereau. The school was $60,000 in debt when he started at the institution and when he left that debt had been erased and a surplus was in the treasury. The good professor asked for a leave of absence in 1867 and traveled for his health with Mark Twain. During these travels, the latter was compiling his notes for the book “Innocents Abroad”. The professor mentioned in this book was Dr. Quereau. He returned to the Seminary after a few months and supervised its education until resigning in 1873. After a few more years traveling, the professor came to the rescue of the defaulting Aurora Silver Plate Company and before long this plant was one of Aurora’s most prosperous industries. He passed away in 1900 and was buried in Spring Lake cemetery. His wife also taught at the Seminary. Their daughter married the late Dr. George Allen.
The Clark Seminary sold in 1864, with all its equipment, representing an investment of $80,000 was sold to the Rock River conference for $25,000. At this time, Mrs. Eliza Jennings of South Lake Street contributed $15,000 toward paying the debt. The school was to be named Jennings Seminary in her honor. It would revert to her heirs if the name was ever changed again.
Jennings Seminary, school for young women, prospered once the financial difficulties were ironed out and became one of the finest private high schools in the middle west. The average attendance for the first eight years was 309. Some years it ran as high as 500. Many students graduated from the Seminary who became famous in their own right. One such person was I.C. Copley of newspaper fame. Colonel Copley was also president of the Jennings Seminary alumni in 1892 and 1894. In the year of 1898 the Rock River Conference of the Methodist Church for saw the trend of education leaning heavily toward public schools, and turned the seminary over to the Deaconess Society of the M. E. church. From that date until its closing, the Seminary became a high school for girls only. Miss Charlotte Codding was the principal in the reorganized Seminary with 35 pupils. The number increased to over 100 annually at the end of her six years as principal. From 1904 to 1928 Miss Bertha Barber became principal and brought the school to a high standard of efficiency. In 1911 the institution was accredited by the North Central Associations of Colleges and Secondary Schools. In 1913 the lot north of the school was purchased to enlarge the grounds. In 1928 Miss Abbie Probasco, former missionary to China, was chosen superintendent and served until 1933. During these years new modern methods of instruction were introduced with a standard of higher education. Commercial courses were also introduced. Mrs. Mina Malek, ordained minister of the M. E. church assumed charge of the school and accomplished much considering the depression years. After serving the middle west for over eighty years, the Seminary closed its doors in June of 1942. Miss Margaret DeBooy was the last principal of this historic school.
A disastrous and costly fire occurred in the Seminary on March 18, 1906. The blaze started in the roof, caused by a defective chimney. The upper half story and the roof were destroyed and the rest of the building and furnishings badly damaged by water. The building, however, was restored in time for the fall term the following September. The fire caused much commotion in the council chambers at city hall. It seems the city had just purchased a new fire hose which was first used at the Jennings fire. It was apparent that an inferior hose was shipped to the city. When the firefighters attempted to extinguish the flames the hose sprang so many leaks it was impossible to force water higher than the second floor. Finally, a call was placed to the water pumping station to increase the pressure, but to little avail. The hose broke as fast as they could couple more lengths. Faucets all over town sprang leaks. Needless to say, the spectators were soaked to the skin while the fire roared on. At least the ‘steamer’ was fired up and the brave firemen conquered the disaster. Most of the students were at church that Sunday morning so there were no injuries or loss of life. The girls did loose most of their personal belongings. When replaced, a hip roof was finished and the belfry eliminated.
The school bell was perched in the cupola high above the school grounds. It was rung by students every half hour. When the Seminary changed to a girls school in 1898 the bell had no further use so it was removed and put in storage. A few years later the Methodist Church received a request from one of its missionaries in China. A mission church had been built in Chung King and was in need of a bell to summon the parishioners to church. The Jennings bell was dusted off, autographed by Jennings’ students and shipped to China. It was received by a Reverend Hall who had attended Jennings Seminary and had himself rang that same bell thousands of times to help defray his expenses at the school. The church and bell survived bombings during World War II. We pray it may still be ringing out its message to the faithful on the other side of our troubled globe.
In the southwest corner of Jennings campus stood a high 150 foot iron tower, installed in 1881. It was one of seven light standards built to light up the City of Aurora. The standards were installed on top of school buildings, the city hall or built up from the ground. Needless to say, with our lights 150 feet in the air, little of that light fell to the ground. At the end of a six year contract, the city council voted to do away with these tall towers and purchase their own lighting system. Since the latter was the first municipally-owned electric lighting plant covering an entire city, ours was called the ‘City of Lights’.
Jennings Terrace received its charter as a non-profit corporation of the State of Illinois on March 16, 1943. At that time the old stone building was in the process of renovation, remodeling and redecorating. The building had been permanently closed as a high school for girls known as Jennings Seminary under the auspices of the Methodist Church. The following July, a plan to turn the building into a home for the elderly was promoted by the late Rev. R. M. Furnish, then pastor of the First Methodist Church of Aurora.
