Lecture About Knox Landmark Old Main

The mystery-shrouded early history of Knox College's Old Main will be discussed by Lance Factor, professor of philosophy, in a free, public lecture, "The Da Vinci Code in Knox's Old Main," at 4 p.m., Friday, October 19. Weather permitting, Factor will speak on the south side of Old Main, then lead a short walking tour of the building. In case of rain, the talk will be in Kresge Hall. The lecture is presented as part of Knox's 2007 Homecoming Weekend.

A National Historic Landmark and sole remaining site of a Lincoln Douglas Debate, Old Main was built in 1857. For the past several years, Factor has been researching Old Main and its architect, Charles Ulricson, an immigrant from Sweden who lived in Peoria and designed a number of buildings there.

Factor, currently working on a book about Old Main, believes that Ulricson incorporated a number of Masonic elements into Old Main's design and materials. According to Factor, then-President Jonathan Blanchard and other College officials were strongly anti-Masonic -- which explains why Ulricson did not reveal those elements at the time, nor leave any written records of what he had done.

Factor holds the George Appleton Lawrence Distinguished Service Professorship in Philosophy. He has taught at Knox since 1969, specializing in American philosophy and the philosophy of science. On leave from teaching this year, he is writing a book about the architectural history of Old Main, and recently wrote a feature article about Old Main for the Knox Magazine.

In Old Main's Attic, Lance Factor recently found several metal leaves that once graced the bell tower; nobody is sure when they were removed, but they've been in storage for a half-century or more...