Monticello Seminary

Noting the predominating influence of the mother on the child, he saw that the higher education of women made them better trainers and teachers of their children.

With this thought as the keynote of his reflections, he determined to erect a seminary to be devoted, as he phrased it, “to the moral, intellectual and domestic improvement of females.

"[3] He thereupon erected, at a cost of US$53,000, a spacious edifice in a beautiful grove on his lands at Godfrey, then known as Monticello, which he placed in charge of a self-perpetuating board of trustees.

Designed by architect Theodore Link,[4] the new buildings, far more spacious than the old, were constructed of Corydon, Bedford, and Alton stone.

The building was heated by hot water, lighted by gas, wired for electricity, and provided with elevator service from basement to upper floor.

The “Haskell Memorial Entrance,” erected by former students in honor of the late principal, was an imposing and artistic portal and was flanked by a handsome wall extending across the front of the grounds and 700 feet (210 m) in length.