The Seven Wonders of Monmouth College

A world-wide project is currently underway to identify to the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. The project mimics the time-tested Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (which included the Great Pyramid of Giza, among others), and adds to the recently released list of the New Seven Wonders of the World (which included the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal).

MC faculty members were asked to chime in on the current debate, and well-traveled professors Ken Cramer and Judi Kessler were the first to reply.

"Lago Chungara in Chile is probably No. 1 on my list," said Cramer. "It's a high-altitude (15,000 feet) saline lake in the Chilean altiplano surrounded by volcanic cones that rise to over 20,000 feet. Abundant waterfowl, including flamingos, hang out here. It's just an incredibly austere, harsh and beautiful landscape with bizarre and amazing high-altitude plants. The wildlife includes Andean condors - the largest birds in the world - and viscachas, which are like giant chinchillas."

Go to their photo album for a visual aid.

Cramer also lists Mt. Denali (formerly Mt. McKinley) in Alaska, the Grand Canyon in Arizona ("absolutely no way any type of photography can do it justice") and Angel Falls in Venezuela.

Kessler also mentioned the Grand Canyon in her response, saying "Every time I visit it, its enormity literally makes me dizzy." She also noted the "mindblowing beauty" of Bryce Canyon National Park, adding "I can't drive through it without stopping many times along the way, just to catch my breath."

MC director of college communications Jeff Rankin was asked a slightly different question. Since he specializes in the history of the college, he was asked to name the Seven Wonders of MC.

Here are his choices: 

1) Huff Athletic Center, Tennis Stadium and Peacock Memorial Athletic Park.

Huff Athletic Center

Monmouth College is justifiably proud of its new athletic facilities, which are virtually unrivaled by any small college in the United States. Not only have they been a boon to the success of our athletic programs, but they have also provided students who are non-athletes with exceptional opportunities for personal fitness. No less of a benefit has been the "curb appeal" they provide to visiting prospective students. It's no accident that the $22 million Huff Athletic Center is the last stop on many a campus tour.

2) Admission/College Relations Building.

An early photograph of the living room in the Admission/College Relations Building, ca. 1920s

Known to older alumni as the Fine Arts Building and to more recent graduates as simply the "Ad" Building, this elegant Tudor-style home was designed by the noted Peoria architect Herbert Hewitt, who also designed Wallace Hall. It was constructed in 1911 for the then-staggering sum of $60,000 (well over $1 million in today's dollars) by attorney John Burroughs Brown, a Knox College grad. Arguably the finest private residence in town at that time, it featured such modern conveniences as electric refrigeration, a central vacuum system, an automobile garage (complete with chauffeur's quarters) and a telephone room. The basement contained an "entertainment room" with two pool tables, a wine cellar, a laundry room and a pantry. In 1931, the college purchased the home for $35,000 and it became home to the new Fine Arts Department. In 1957, the building was converted to an administrative center. With the renovation of Poling Hall in 1996, most of the remaining administrative offices moved out of the facility, leaving it available for admission and college relations. The first stages of a major renovation of the building will begin this summer.

3) Auditorium Ceiling.

The Auditorium Ceiling Trusses

The second-oldest building on the college campus, Dahl Chapel and Auditorium was designed in 1894 by Dan Everett Waid, an 1887 MC graduate who later became one of the most successful New York City architects. It was Waid's first commission and is the only building on campus designed in the Old English style. Its most impressive feature is the system of decorative open trusses supporting the massive, steep roof. It was constructed from 20 pieces of yellow pine, 44 feet long and 8 x 10 inches around. They were shipped in 1896 from Brookhaven, Miss., on two railroad cars.

4) Class of 1903 Cannon.

Class of 1903 Cannon

Dating to the Civil War, this half-ton piece of ordnance is probably the most storied object on the college campus. Technically an artillery rifle, it was obtained from the Rock Island Arsenal by the senior class in 1903, with the intention of being installed in front of the flagpole as a class gift. It has since been installed at several locales, but never in front of the flagpole, thanks to the antics of the rival Class of 1904, who burned the original carriage and deposited the barrel in Cedar Creek. There it lay until 1952, when professor Garrett Thiessen discovered it and had it hidden in the Monmouth Armory. The following spring, it was embedded nose-down in concrete near the old science building. In 1990, to make way for construction of Wells Theater, it was dug up again and reburied in front of Haldeman-Thiessen Science Center. Finally, in 1996, it was freed from its concrete collar and mounted on a reproduction carriage, so it could be fired during the Homecoming game. For a time, it resided in the lobby of Haldeman-Thiessen, but it now occupies a spot on the lower level of Huff Athletic Center. Truly a well-traveled piece of artillery.

5) McMichael Residence Hall.

An architect's rendering of McMichael Residence Hall

An engineering marvel when it was completed in 1914 - particularly considering its steel-frame construction and poured-concrete floors prior to the advent of heavy construction equipment - this was Monmouth's first residence hall and arguably is still its finest. The building had everything ... from the college kitchen and dining room in its basement to a full-fledged gymnasium for women in the attic. There was also an infirmary, reception room, spacious balconies and even a chafing-dish room, where students could cook their own meals. A $3.5 million renovation in 1997 renewed the vibrancy of this elegant building, which today also houses the college bookstore.

6) Marshall Hall.

Marshall Hall

Given to the college in 1937 by Monmouth druggist Hugh Marshall, this Italianate residence was erected by his physician father in 1876. As such, it is the oldest building on the campus proper. Now home to MC's women's fraternities, it remains one of the most elegant homes on Broadway. Its bricks were manufactured locally and its limestone basement, which originally housed the kitchen, was built from rock quarried north of Monmouth.

7) The Steam Tunnel System

A manhole covering an entrance to the steam tunnel

Built in 1907 (a little too late to prevent the fire that destroyed Old Main), the steam tunnel system has been adapted over the years to accommodate additional buildings. Additionally, the boilers serving it have been relocated from a heating plant behind Stockdale Center to the basement of Haldeman-Thiessen Science Center. Today, buildings heated by the central plant include Haldeman-Thiessen, Graham, Fulton, Hewes Library, Huff Athletic Center, Stockdale Center, Winbigler, Grier, McMichael Residence, McMichael Academic, Wallace, Poling and Dahl Chapel. Incredibly, the entire system is served by two boilers that were originally designed to heat only Haldeman-Thiessen!