By Jay Jamison
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” — the opening lines of Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities” seem to maintain their relevance through each epoch. Jacksonville, Illinois is celebrating its bicentennial this year. Jacksonville was largely settled by early pioneers who came to this rich prairie via Tennessee and Kentucky. They gave this area a certain Southern charm. Another group made their way here via the Erie Canal down the Ohio River and other water courses from New England. In this municipal mixture of the American south and New England, 16 men held the first meeting of what was to become “The Club” on September 17, 1861. They had a clearly stated objective in mind from their first meeting: “Mutual entertainment, and instruction of the members by conversation and discussion, written or oral, on all subjects of general interest and intelligence.”
Even though our time seems to be riven with alarming controversies, the early 1860s was not exactly a time of placid serenity in a town of opposing sentiments. The 16 men who gathered in Jacksonville homes in 1861 had plenty of controversial topics to discuss. The worst war in the nation’s history was being fought on American soil, a war that would determine whether the nation would live or die. The discussions among members of The Club were mostly among college professors, other educators, businessmen, ministers and physicians, who largely favored the preservation of the national Union. These discussions were happening in a time of national strife in a town largely populated by people who had a Southern bent.
Among the original members of The Club were some of Jacksonville’s most prominent men: Jonathan Baldwin Turner, an educator and ardent abolitionist; Julian Monson Sturtevant, the first instructor at Illinois College and the school’s second president; Rufus Crampton, mathematics professor, builder of the Octagon House on Park Street and later president of Illinois College; and William Sanders and Rufus Nutting, both distinguished members of the Illinois College faculty. The business community was represented by Marshall Paul Ayers and David A. Smith. Local clergy included the Rev. William G. Gallaher, the Rev. David H. Hamilton, the Rev. Charles H. Marshall and the Rev. Walter S. Russell. The Club also included attorney Edward P. Kirby who would later become Morgan County judge.
The Club is one of several literary groups that give Jacksonville a unique character, when compared with many other towns on the Illinois prairie. Jacksonville began as a town that had the seemingly oil and water mixture of pioneer southerners and intrepid New Englanders. In the 164 seasons since The Club held its first meeting, many scientific breakthroughs, business innovations, political assassinations, moral and political controversies, epic wars and financial panics have provided abundant background material for their discussions. The members of The Club have been people who acknowledge that their understanding is limited, and they have engaged in inquiry through polite discussion to learn more. Many landmarks and institutions have come and gone in the 200 years since Jacksonville’s founding. Literary associations, like The Club, continue to provide a valuable legacy — through the best of times and the worst of times. They help to make Jacksonville a unique place on the Illinois prairie.
Endnote: My thanks to Dr. Robert Seufert, who provided some background material for this article. Seufert and I are members of The Club.
