The history of Knox and Galesburg is rich in nationally significant events and movements. These range from our Abolitionist founding and pathbreaking role in the Underground Railroad, to the historic 1858 Lincoln-Douglas Debate at Old Main, to the nationally renowned oratorical and literary societies, to the Muckraking Tradition in journalism—born at Knox—that spawned a new national consciousness about working conditions, public health and consumer protection. Central to the vision of a revitalized Alumni Hall is the opportunity to preserve, display and promote Knox College's and Galesburg's roles in these vital aspects of American history.

The Prairie Freedom Heritage Center, located on the first floor of the Gnothautii Wing, will house displays on Abolitionism, the Underground Railroad, the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, and other key aspects of the history of Knox College, Galesburg and Western Illinois. The Heritage Center will offer guided tours of Old Main, the College's National Historic Landmark building and site of the fifth Lincoln-Douglas Debate, and provide materials about the Abolitionist and Underground Railroad historic sites in Galesburg and Knox County. Displays and exhibits in the auditorium lobby, the art gallery and the central auditorium, and items for sale in the Knox Bookstore will support and extend the impact of the Heritage Center.

The lower level of the Gnothautii Wing will house the Knox College Lincoln Studies Center in an attractive suite of offices appropriate to its status as a nationally recognized center of print and online scholarship on Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln Studies Center has attracted national attention for its scholarship on Lincoln in Illinois and for its project, sponsored by the Library of Congress, to archive the Lincoln Presidential Papers online.

These dedicated spaces in a renovated Alumni Hall will celebrate the College's national historical significance and increase its visibility as a destination in the growing field of historical and heritage tourism. Knox College and the entire region will benefit, as many more visitors discover our proud history and the vitality of our campus today.

To receive more information about the renovation of Alumni Hall, contact: