Jubilee College State Park

Infobox_protected_area | name = Jubilee College State Park, Illinois, USA
iucn_category = III


caption = Map of the U.S. state of Illinois showing the location of Jubilee College State Park
locator_x = 125
locator_y = 118
location = Peoria County, Illinois, USA
nearest_city = Brimfield, Illinois
lat_degrees = 40
lat_minutes = 49
lat_seconds = 01
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 89
long_minutes = 46
long_seconds = 52
long_direction = W
area = convert|3200|acre|km2|1|lk=on
established = 1933
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body = Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Jubilee College State Park is an Illinois state park located a few miles west of Peoria, Illinois. It contains Jubilee College State Historic Site, a frontier Illinois college active from 1840 to 1862.

Jubilee College and the frontier community that supported it was founded in 1839 by Episcopal bishop Philander Chase. Earlier in his career Chase had founded Kenyon College in Ohio.

This was one of the earliest educational enterprises in Illinois. After the Bishop's death, the college closed in 1862. In 1933 the college and grounds, then consisting of convert|93|acre|km2|2|lk=on, were presented to the state of Illinois. The site has since been expanded to convert|3200|acre|km2|1 and includes the original Chase residence and church.

Cooperative management

The entire Jubilee College site is owned by the U.S. state of Illinois. The 90-acre college grounds are operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IAPA), and the surrounding 3,100 acres (12.5 km²) of open space are operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Mountain biking

Jubilee College contains extensive mountain biking trails, maintained by the Peoria Area Mountain Biking Association (PAMBA).

External links

* [http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/Landmgt/parks/r1/jubilee.htm DNR official site]
* [http://www.pambamtb.org/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=2&page=1 Mountain bike trails at Jubilee College State Park]