Photos may be purchased for personal use at: https://www.randymanning.com/Hamilton-Primary-School-Festival OTTERVILLE - The 39th annual Hamilton Primary School Festival drew a large crowd Saturday, Sept. 24, and Sunday, Sept. 25, from noon to 4 p.m. on the grounds of the Hamilton Primary School, located at 107 E. Main St. in Otterville. Hamilton Primary School was the first free and integrated school in the United States. The original school building was built in 1835. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 6, 1998. Dr. Silas Hamilton, for whom the school is named, was born in New England, but eventually landed in the Otterville area. George Washington, one of Hamilton's former slaves, bequeathed $1,500 upon his death in 1864 to build a monument to Hamilton. The marble monument, erected in front of the school the same year, is currently maintained by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The original building was demolished in 1872, and
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