Godfrey in Madison County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Monticello College
Photographed By Jason Voigt, January 19, 2020
1. Monticello College Marker
"My years at Monticello formed such an epoch, and it is no flattery to say that to you I owe much of the richness and beauty of the landscape over which I now exult. For your teaching gave me intellectually a broader scope and firmer footing than I ever had ventured upon." - Poet Lucy Larcom, in a letter to Philena Fobes, principal of Monticello Female Seminary, 1855
One of Benjamin Godfrey's greatest contributions to the community of Monticello, now Godfrey, came in the early 1830s, when he announced his plans to build a seminary for women. Monticello Female Seminary opened in 1838 and offered women an academic curriculum patterned after that of Yale University rather than the domestic and social tutoring typical of the time. The first principal was the Reverend Theron Baldwin, but several remarkable women, first Philena Fobes and later Harriet Newell Haskell, occupied the position starting in the 1840s. Haskell is considered one of the Midwest's greatest early educators. The school established by Godfrey closed as Monticello College in 1970-1971, but the site continues as Lewis & Clark Community College, a vibrant example of Godfrey's legacy.
Erected 2019 by Benjamin Godfrey Legacy Trail Committee (sponsored by Linda (Naugle) Nevlin, Class of 1959). (Marker Number
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • Education • Settlements & Settlers • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1838.
Location. 38° 57.02′ N, 90° 11.515′ W. Marker is in Godfrey, Illinois, in Madison County. Marker can be reached from LCCC Road west of Godfrey Road (U.S. 67). Marker is behind the Benjamin Godfrey Memorial Chapel, which is located on the grounds of Lewis & Clark Community College. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5800 Godfrey Road, Godfrey IL 62035, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Benjamin Godfrey Memorial Chapel (here, next to this marker); Godfrey Cemetery (approx. 0.4 miles away); Benjamin Godfrey (approx. half a mile away); Godfrey Mansion (approx. 1.2 miles away); Lindbergh Relay Station (approx. 1.3 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 1.8 miles away); Plank Road (approx. 2 miles away); North Alton Confederate Cemetery (approx. 2.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Godfrey.
More about this marker. This is the sixth of nine markers in the Benjamin Godfrey Legacy Trail series.
Also see . . . Lewis and Clark Community College.
Photographed By Jason Voigt, January 19, 2020
2. Monticello College Marker
Both this and the Memorial Chapel marker are behind the chapel. Markers are accessible near a parking lot at Lewis & Clark Community College.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 20, 2022. It was originally submitted on January 27, 2020, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. This page has been viewed 212 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 27, 2020, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
