IN OTTERVILLE, THERE IS A GEM OF HISTORY THAT BRIDGES THE GAP BETWEEN RACES AT A TIME WHEN OUR
COUNTRY WAS STILL VERY MUCH
DIVIDED.
AFTER NEARLY ONE HUNDRED YEARS
OF SERVICE, THE CHILDREN AND
CLASSES ARE NOW GONE.
OPEN IN THE EARLY 1870'S, THIS
BUILDING WAS THE PRIDE OF A
RURAL COMMUNITY.
UPSTAIRS WAS A STAGE WHERE PLAYS
WERE PERFORMED.
WHILE IN THE BASEMENT, CIVIC
GROUPS MET.
OUR STORY IS NOT ABOUT THIS
BUILDING.
IN THE COAL BIN COULD BE SEEN
THE OLD STONES USED FOR THE
FOUNDATION OF THE SCHOOL.
THEY CAME FROM OTTERVILLE'S
FIRST SCHOOL BUILDING, A
BUILDING WHOSE HISTORY DATES
BACK TO 18 20'S, A CHILD BORN IN
SLAVERY AND A VERMONT DOCTOR
NAMED THOMAS HAMILTON.
HE DIDN'T BELIEVE IN SLAVERY.
HE THOUGHT IT WAS WRONG.
HE WANTED TO SHOW PEOPLE HOW TO
TREAT THEM, THAT THEY WEREN'T TO
BE USED AS SLAVES, THAT THEY
WERE EQUAL TO HIM.
HE WENT TO THE SOUTH, BOUGHT A
PLANTATION DOWN THERE, AND TOOK
28 SLAVES.
THEN HE COULDN'T GET THE OTHER
PLANTATION PEOPLE TO GO ALONG
WITH HIS THINKING.
SO HE BROKE THE PLANTATIONS DOWN
THERE.
ON THE WAY COMING BACK TO VER
MONTH, HE RAN ALONG A BLACK BOY
CRYING A ALONG SIDE THE ROAD,
AND HE ASKED HIM WHAT WAS WRONG,
AND HE SAID THEY JUST SOLD HIS
MOTHER AND COULDN'T GET HIM TO
QUIT CRYING.
DR. GAVE HIM A HUNDRED DOLLARS.
THE CHILD WAS NAMED GEORGE
WASHINGTON.
DR. HAMILTON FREEED HIS SLAVES
AND ALONG WITH GEORGE, MOVED TO
ILLINOIS.
IT WAS HERE THE DOCTOR WOULD
LEAVE A LEGACY TO ENSURE
GEORGE'S FUTURE.
>>DR. HAMILTON LEFT THAT IN HIS
WILL.
HE LEFT $4,000, TWO THOUSAND TO
BUILD THE BUILDING SO BLACK
GEORGE WASHINGTON COULD GO TO
SCHOOL HERE.
AND THEN HE LEFT $2,000 FOR
TEACHERS.
THAT WAS LEFT IN HIS WILL.
IT IS THE FIRST FREE SCHOOL IN
THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, AND IT IS
THE FIRST FREE INTEGRATED SCHOOL
IN THE NATION.
ALONG WITH AREA CHILDREN, GEORGE
ATTENDED THE NEW SCHOOL.
LATER, HE WOULD REMAIN IN
OTTERVILLE BECOMING QUITE
SUCCESSFUL.
HE DIED IN 1864, ALMOST A YEAR
BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR WOULD BRING
AN END TO SLAVERY.
WHEN HE PASSED AWAY, HE LEFT IN
HIS WILL THAT THAT MON -- HE
LEFT $1,500 TO BUILD THAT
MONUMENT OUT THERE.
THEN A AFTER THEY GOT THE
MONUMENT AND THAT BUILT, THEN HE
LEFT THE REST OF HIS WILL TO
EDUCATE BLACK PEOPLE.
WHEN IT FIRST STARTED, THERE WAS
GEORGE WASHINGTON FUND THAT IS
SET UP AND STILL IN PROGRESS
TODAY.
THAT'S THE FIRST MONUMENT EVER BUILT BY A SLAVE IN HONOR OF HIS MASTER.
THEN ACROSS THE ROAD IS A CRYPT.
GEORGE WASHINGTON AND
DR. HAMILTON LAID SIDE BY SIDE.
AS FAR AS PEOPLE HAVE
RESEARCHED, THAT'S THE ONLY
PLACE A MASTER AND SLAVE LAY
SIDE BY SIDE. THEIR GRAVES WERE
THERE, AND THEN HE WERE AFRAID
SOMEBODY WOULD DESTROY THEM.
THEY BUILT THE CRYPT OVER THE
GRAVE.
MONUMENT REMAINS, BUT THE
ORIGINAL SCHOOLHOUSE IS GONE.
>> THEY SAID THAT THE MORTAR IN
THE ROCKS CRUMBLED.
IT WAS OF POOR QUALITY, AND THEY
WERE AFRAID IT WOULD SAG.
SO THEY TORE IT DOWN, AND THEN
THEY BUILT IT RIGHT BACK UP ON
THE SAME PLACE, SAME THING THAT
IT WAS BEFORE.
THEN THEY ADDED THE FRONT.
THIS ONE HERE OPENED IN 1871.
CLASSES WERE HELD HERE UNTIL
1971.
FIRST, SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH
WENT IN THE LITTLE ROOM.
THEY WANT TO KNOW WHY WE CALL IT
THE LITTLE ROOM.
THAT'S WHERE THE GRADES WAS WHEN
THEY WERE THE SAME SIZED ROOM.
THIS WAS THE BIG ROOM, AND THAT
WAS 5, 6, 7, AND 8TH.
NOT EVERYTHING FROM THE OLD
SCHOOL DISAPPEARED N THE
CLASSROOMS ARE THE ORIGINAL
BLACKBOARDS ADVANTAGED FROM THE
1831 BUILDING.
IN ADDITION, THERE IS A SMALL
MUSEUM IN ONE ROOM THAT NOT ONLY
LOOKS BACK AT PREVIOUS CLASSES,
BUT ALSO REMINDS VISITORS OF THE
SCHOOL'S ROOTS, ROOTS THAT
STRETCH BACK TO WITH WHEN ONE
MAN ACTED ON HIS CONVICTION AND
ANOTHER WHOSE BELIEF IN HE HAD A
CATION CON CONTINUES TO AID
STUDENTS TODAY.