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William Jewell College
Extension 68 - William Jewell College Introduction
William Jewell College was supposed to be in Boonville, MO. But a few Clay County citizens led by Colonel Alexander Doniphan, a highly successful defense attorney as well as a hero in the Mexican-American War, decided to try to convince the Baptists of Missouri to locate the college in Liberty. They succeeded in that effort, resulting in William Jewell College being founded in 1849, named for the Columbia, Missouri physician who encouraged the establishment of a church-related college with a $10,000 pledge. Dr. Jewell came to Liberty to lead the construction of what is now the most prominent building on the new campus. Jewell Hall still stands, almost 160 years later, as a vital part of the academic life of the college. William Jewell College is regarded as one of the finest liberal arts colleges in the country. The college annually recognizes a few of its most successful graduates in an "Achievement Day" celebration with nationally known speakers headlining the event. William Jewell College is also known for its outstanding Harriman-Jewell Fine Arts program which brings world-famous performers to Kansas City and Liberty. The legendary opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti made his American concert debut in 1973 on the campus of William Jewell College.
Extension 69 - Gano Chapel - Built 1925-26
By the 1920s it was agreed that the campus needed a designated chapel. Up to that point religious services had been held in various other buildings on campus. A woman named Elizabeth Price Johnson who lived in the Kansas City area was the great granddaughter of Rev. John Gano. Gano had been George Washington's chaplain during the Revolutionary War. Before that he was a well known Baptist minister in New York and New Jersey. His fame spread down the eastern seaboard as a result of his preaching tours that attracted thousands of people who traveled to hear him preach. He was also a founder of Rhode Island College (now Brown University) and was a trustee of Columbia University in New York. Johnson offered the college money to build the chapel if three demands would be met. The chapel would be named John Gano Memorial Chapel, the college would maintain a family cemetery just outside of Liberty and a famous painting of Gano baptizing Washington would always hang in the chapel. The college agreed to all terms. The building was completed in 1926 and has hosted events such as Luciano Pavarotti's American debut in 1973. Other performers to grace the stage are Itzhak Perlman, Marcel Marceau, and Leontyne Price. Harry S Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson and Jimmy Carter also spoke here. Gano Chapel was renovated in 2000, adding an assembly room on the east side of the building and the Walter Pope & Blanche Binns Steeple. The Thomas & Virginia Field Convocation & Worship Center were also dedicated. A point of interest is the stained glass windows designed by Professor J.E. Davis depicting the life of Jesus. The painting of Gano and Washington still hangs off the main lobby. Also, a sword passed down through the Gano family is in the same case. Legend states the sword had belonged to the Marquis de Lafayette who gave it to George Washington. In return, Washington gave it to Gano.
Extension 70 - Brown Hall - Built 1929; renovated 1982
A new Brown Gymnasium was built in 1929-30 as a result of the first Brown Gymnasium burning down in 1928. The funds for the first building were donated by A.D. Brown who owned the Brown Shoe Company in St. Louis. Brown was a personal friend and deacon of President John Priest Greene's former church. With the insurance money from the first building along with contributions by J.P. Reynolds, president of the Kansas City Life Insurance Company and W.D. Johnson, vice president of Fidelity Trust Company, the new Brown Gymnasium was rebuilt next to the original site and dedicated on January 2, 1930. The building served as the campus gymnasium until 1982 when it was renovated to house class rooms, the art department and other administrative offices. It is now called Brown Hall.
Extension 71 - Pillsbury Music Center - Built 1974
The land where this building sits today was the original site of the first Brown Gymnasium before it burned. That building on this land hosted the first college basketball game west of the Mississippi when William Jewell College played the University of Kansas. William Naismith, the creator of basketball, was KU's coach at the time. Pillsbury Music Center was built on this land in 1974 which houses the college's music programs. The building was dedicated on Homecoming Day in 1974 but was not officially named in honor of the Pillsbury Foundation and family until November 15, 1980. The building construction cost was $1,400,000 which includes a choral suite accommodating 120 and a recital hall that seats 125. The recital hall is named for Dr. Wesley Forbis, former chairman of the department and national editor of the 1991 Baptist Hymnal.
Extension 72 - John Priest Greene Memorial Hall - Built 1948
Greene Hall was built in 1948 to serve as the administrative headquarters for the campus and still serves that purpose today. It houses the president's office, the marketing department and various other business offices. It was named after John Priest Greene who was the college's longest serving president from 1892 to1923. Dr. Greene was responsible for growth of not only the student body but also a number of buildings on campus that still stand today. The building was dedicated during William Jewell College's Centennial celebration in 1949. Greene retired to California and died in the same hour of the dedication. The building also houses the George Caleb Bingham painting Major Deane in Jail which shows the former Major in the Union Army jailed in Independence for preaching without having taken the "Ironclad Oath" prescribed by the Missouri Constitution of 1865. Bingham painted the picture for the purpose of holding the "contemptible oath up to ridicule".
Extension 73 - Greene Stadium - Built 1955
Greene Stadium was built in 1955 and named for Dr. Luther Greene, a major contributor and a member of Jewell's first football team. The stadium can hold up to 5,000 people and it cost $95,200 to build. In 1992 the football field was named in honor of legendary coach Norris Patterson who became a coach for the college in 1950 and stayed until 1968. In 1998 a gift from Liberty business man Garnett M. Peters III, provided a new state-of-the-art track and in returned was named Peters Track. Although not held at this stadium, WJC's first football game was played in 1888.
Extension 74 - White Science Center - Built 1991
Built in 1991 and dedicated in 1992, the White Science Center cost $7,500,000 and was named for principal donors and alumni John & Penny Kern White. This 66,000 square foot structure is the science center of the campus. It has 23 laboratories with state-of-the art equipment along with a seminar conference room and lecture halls. It houses the physics, chemistry, biology, computer studies and mathematics departments. If you look to the top of the building you will see the Pillsbury Observatory which was a gift from the Pillsbury Foundation of St. Louis. Events are open to the public for various astrological viewings.
Extension 75 - Marston Hall - Built 1913-17
In 1913 a building called Wornall Hall burned on the campus which left a dire need for a science building. A new building was immediately started; however, the contractor went bankrupt during the project. Because of the need for space on the campus the chemistry and physics department moved into the building before it was finished. The students and faculty of the college rallied to finish the plumbing and electrical work to finally complete the construction in 1917. The building was renovated in 1952 and again when the science departments moved to the new White Science Center in 1991. The building was named in honor of Rev. Sylvester W. Marston, a Baptist minister who also served as Superintendent of Sunday Schools for the Missouri Baptist General Association. Later he was appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant to be the United States Agent for the civilized tribes of the Indian Territory. His son, Edgar L. Marston, a prominent New York business man, was a friend of then college president John Priest Greene who persuaded him to fund the new building. Today Marston Hall houses the Advancement and Alumni offices as well as the Education, History, and Nursing departments.
Extension 76 - Jewell Hall - Built 1850 - 1858
Jewell Hall is not only a building of classrooms and faculty offices but it also serves as the symbol of the College. Dr. William Jewell was a physician in Columbia who had also served in the Missouri State Legislature and as the mayor of Columbia. A devout Baptist who had started the First Baptist Church in his hometown, Jewell offered the Baptists of Missouri $10,000 in land around the state if the denomination could raise $15,000 to start a men's ministerial school. This classic Greek revival architecture was begun in 1850 and first occupied in 1852. This building was designed by Dr. Jewell and he also hired the laborers, ordered the supplies and oversaw the construction. Dr. Jewell died of heatstroke August 1852 while working on this building. The building was finally completed in 1858. During the Civil War it was occupied twice by Union troops and used as a hospital and stable. The building was renovated in 1948 and again in 2000. The cupola on top of the building is a replica of the original and was a gift of Edna Boyer Shepherd. On the front porch you will see steps taken from Dr. Jewell's house in Columbia.
Extension 77 - Built 1964-65
The Carnegie Library stood on the campus from 1908 until the mid 1960s when the space could not accommodate the growing collections. A new library was completed in sections on the same site of the original library for $1,250,000. Five years later it was officially named the Charles F. Curry Library after a college trustee who served from 1964 to 1968. The library houses several well known collections such as the Partee Center for Baptist Historical Studies, writings of Balthazar Hubmaier, the books and illustrations of children's writer Lois Lenski, and a compilation of materials related to wars fought by Americans called the Settle Collection.
Extension 78 - Gill College Union - Built 1957
William F. Yates, an 1898 graduate from Ray County, became a banker, trustee and benefactor of the college. He endowed the chemistry department in memory of his son and gave a rare glass collection to the college in 1971. Mr. Yates was still an active trustee when he died at age 101.
A new student union building was built 1957 and named in honor of Mr. Yates with an addition constructed in 1967. That new addition was demolished in 2005 in preparation for a complete renovation of the facility that also added 15,000 square feet thanks to a major gift by Ray and Lucille Gill. The new and improved Yates-Gill Union construction was finished in 2006 and houses the cafeteria, Student Affairs, Career Services, Counseling/Testing, Bookstore, The Perch, and The Cage. Interestingly, Mr. Gill, also from Ray County, was a protof Mr. Yates and recalls when he drove Mr. Yates to and from William Jewell College trustees meetings.
Extension 79 - Grand River Chapel - Built 1918, Moved to campus 1991
Organized in Jameson, Missouri, this country church was formally called Grand River Baptist Church. The building that stands today was built in 1918 for the congregation. The entire structure was taken down piece by piece and rebuilt on the Jewell campus in 1991 as a project of the Alumni Commission for Religious Life. It symbolizes Jewell's ties to the rural church from which it was given support. It is open for prayer 24 hours a day and it is used by the public as a wedding chapel with up to six weddings during a summer weekend. The large stained glass windows were designed and created by alums Charlie & Adelle Newlon. The 16' X 9' stained glass depicts the college logo and motto Deo Fisus Labora which means Trust God and Work. The Grand River Gardens which surround the building were a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jim Ferrell. Three historical markers on the ground note Civil War activities in Liberty and on the campus.
The smaller windows were donated by the First Baptist Church, Trenton, and the two clear windows left for the purpose of viewing "God's splendor".
Extension 80 - Mt. Memorial Cemetery
This cemetery is not part of the William Jewell College campus. It belongs to the City of Liberty as reminder that the college campus has grown over the years and surrounded a landmark that stood long before the campus. Formerly called the Old Graveyard this one acre tract of land began as a cemetery in the early 1800s. As time passed the campus has expanded from the original hill where Jewell Hall sits. Mt. Memorial Cemetery sits quietly but the stories of those who rest here remain vivid. Early Liberty trustees are buried here including Samuel Tillery, George Wallis, and Cyrus Brashear, Another notable figure resting here is Greenup Bird who was a cashier of the Clay County Savings Association when Jesse James and his gang robbed it in 1866. He died in 1882. During the Civil War a warning was issued by Union Captain James H. Ford that no Confederates should be buried there. At least three Union soldiers are buried in Mt. Memorial.
Extension 81 - One Room School House
Originally from Richmond, Missouri and called the Dale-Patton Schoolhouse it was moved to the campus in 2000. The exact date of construction is not known; however, it is well over 100 years old. This quaint school room is now called the One Room School House. The building is used for student groups and special presentations. It was moved to the campus as a reminder of early Missouri rural education.
Extension 82 - President's Home - Built 1905
In 1892 when John Priest Greene, Jewell's longest serving president, became president he followed the tradition of former presidents by living in a private family home in Liberty. Dr. Greene was the pastor of Third Baptist Church in St. Louis when he agreed to become the college's new president. One of his deacons, A.D. Brown who owned the Brown Shoe Company, was appalled at the living conditions of the president of a college. So, he donated $25,000 to build a new modified Georgian style brick home and $15,000 for new furnishings. During World War II the house was used a dormitory for women so the navy cadets attending the flight school on the college grounds could occupy the women's residence halls. From 1946 to 1948 the house was used for classrooms and faculty offices while Jewell Hall was being renovated for the college's centennial. In 1949 the house was reconditioned to be the president's home again.
In 1996 the house was once again completely renovated to meet current safety codes.
Extension 83 - Mabee Center for Physical Education - Built 1980
Brown Gymnasium had been on campus for about 50 years but not longer met the needs of the college. So the Mabee Center for Physical Education was built in 1980. The building was named in honor of John and Lottie Mabee whose Tulsa-based foundation funded the project. In addition to their generous gift the Kansas City Chiefs football team which held their summer training camp at the college from 1963 to 1990 also donated to the construction. The facility is over 90,000 square feet and includes three basketball courts surrounded by a six-lane running track. It also has an Olympic size pool, handball courts, locker rooms and can hold 1,600 spectators. The college holds its graduation ceremonies in this building.
 
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