Pemberton Hall
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| Pemberton Hall and Gymnasium | |
|---|---|
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
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| Location: | Lincoln Ave. and 4th St., Charleston, Illinois |
| Built/Founded: | 1909 |
| Architectural style(s): | Gothic revival |
| Added to NRHP: | August 26, 1982 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 82002521 |
| Governing body: | Eastern Illinois University |
Pemberton Hall is a women's residence hall (also known as a dormitory) at Eastern Illinois University, in Charleston, Illinois. Located at the north end of EIU's campus, at the corner of 4th street and Lincoln Avenue, Pemberton Hall is registered as a historic landmark, due to its status as the oldest women's college residence hall in the state.
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[edit] Old "Pem"
Construction of "Pem Hall", as the building is known to many students, was completed in 1909, when EIU was still Eastern Illinois State Normal School. The building was named for Illinois state senator Stanton C. Pemberton, who was instrumental in getting funding for the building approved. The four-story building was designed for residency by approximately 100 female students, and included parlors, fireplaces, fourth floor maid's quarters, a matron's apartment, and a dining room. A small gymnasium for use by all students also was part of the original building. Although only female students lived in Pemberton Hall, and no students were required to live there, the building served as a center of many social functions for the college in its early years, since the first-floor parlor provided space for parties and meetings.
[edit] New Pem
Today, Pemberton Hall has an old section (the portion of the building that dates from 1909) and a new section, built in the early 1960s. With the addition of the new section, Pem Hall now can house over 200 students, in single, double, and triple rooms. The former gym is now home to the university's textbook rental office. The matron's quarters are now the hall counselor's apartment, the fireplaces are not used because of the risk of setting the nearly 100-year-old woodwork on fire, and the fourth floor is used as a storage attic.
[edit] Folklore
"Pem girls" and Mr. McCoy like to pass on ghost stories concerning the usually-locked fourth floor, and a plaque in the foyer dedicated to the building's first matron, Mary Hawkins. Most versions of the story name Mary as the ghost who supposedly haunts the building. Some versions say the ghost is Mary Hawkins, still watching over her girls, while others say the ghost is actually the restless spirit of a former student murdered by a crazed janitor during a holiday break in some unspecified school year. The story is well known around EIU's campus, and is included in several collections of ghost stories.
