Night had come to the town of Alton, Illinois and a crowd began to gather in the darkness.

Some of the men stooped to gather stones. Others fingered the triggers of the guns they carried as they made their way to a warehouse on the banks of the Mississippi River.

Such begins a report from Alton, Illinois in November of 1837. If you were alive during these turbulent years preceding the civil war, the name Lovejoy would inspire feelings of anger and sadness. It was his death that served as a lightning rod to inspire northern radicals to stand more deliberately against slavery. It is no surprise that one of the earliest schools for African-Americans on Capitol Hill was named for the martyred abolitionist.

Reconstruction provided a window of opportunity for African-Americans and in 1870 classes were being taught in a building located at 18th and B SE under the name Lovejoy School. In 1872 in addition to Adolph Cluss’s wonderful Sumner and Franklin schools, a new Victorian school building was constructed at the corner of 12th and D NE to accommodate the growing need. This was the new Lovejoy School.

The building had six school rooms and average total attendance was 233 pupils. For most of the 1870′s and 1880′s the school was guided by principal Grace A. Dyson. She also taught Primary No. 9. and was one of only 4 teachers that made up the faculty for the Primary 9-12 classes.

As Jim Crow swept further into daily life, the need to segregate yet still provide for the education of black Americans expanded. By the late 1890′s it was clear that the Victorian building was too small and out of date. Plans for a new building were made. It would be designed by noted architect Robert Stead. Stead had designed many homes and mansions in Washington, few of which still stand today. One of the most well known houses still standing is the Hillyer mansion on Massachusetts Avenue (now the Cosmos club), though little from the original design is still visible.

The new building was designed in an Elizabethan style. It’s dedication was January 17th, 1902. Many residents of Capitol Hill were in attendance and participated in the dedication ceremony. Recitations of poetry, music and addresses by prominent citizens filled the program. A Dr. George Richardson spoke with delight about the words “love” and “joy” and how the two characteristics are found among the school’s teachers and pupils and grace the building’s facade.

He then began to recount the details in the life of Elijah Lovejoy on that November night in 1837.

Reverend Elijah P. Lovejoy had begun publishing a newspaper called the Alton Observer. Reverend Lovejoy was a staunch abolitionist and his newspaper press was attacked and destroyed on three occasions by pro-slavery mobs. He mistakenly thought the arrival of the fourth press had gone undetected.

The Alton IL newspaper report continues–

“As they approached, they eyed the windows of the three-story building, searching for some sign of movement from inside. Suddenly, William S. Gilman, one of the owners of the building, appeared in an upper window. “What do you want here?” he asked the crowd. “The press!” came the shouted reply.

Inside the warehouse was Elijah Parish Lovejoy, and 20 of his supporters. Lovejoy would not give up.

Gilman called out: “We have no ill feelings toward, any of you and should much regret to do any injury; but we are authorized by the Mayor to defend our property and shall do so with our lives.” The mob began to throw stones, breaking out all the windows in the warehouse.

Shots were fired by members of the mob, and rifle balls whizzed through the windows of the warehouse, narrowly missing the defenders inside. Lovejoy and his men, returned the fire. Several people in the crowd were hit, and one was killed.

“Burn them out!” someone shouted.”

Dr. Richardson’s dedication speech of the new school was a joyous occasion and he needn’t have gone into the details of that night. It’s likely that most in attendance knew the story well. Instead he turned to praise the idea of Lovejoy as hero and patriot. Little did he know how inspired these pupils were. The school grew so much that in just 7 years it had to be expanded again in order to add more classrooms.

In 1924 yet another expansion was completed more than doubling the size of the building. Dedicated on January 31, 1924, this now-massive school enjoyed yet another re-dedication with even greater fanfare than the first. A graduation ceremony for some of the students was preceded by a ceremonial flag raising, speeches by school board members and Capitol Hill residents. There were over 800 students in attendance.

From this point the school served high school students on Capitol Hill until decreasing enrollment forced it’s closure in 1988. DCPS continued to use the building as it’s offices of health, physical education, athletics and safety for several more years before abandoning the building.

The 1990′s were dark times in the district as it fought it’s way out of bankruptcy and a control board was put in place to oversee the recovery. With a large number of abandoned or unused school buildings on the School Board’s inventory, the control board seized many of the surplus school properties. Many had become homeless shelters, but Lovejoy remained abandoned–an eyesore and a shell of it’s former glory.

In 2000 an interested developer saw the potential of the school building in spite of lead paint and asbestos issues that needed to be resolved. In a Washington Post article in May of 2000, Neal Morris of Winter Properties in Atlanta was quoted saying, “the worst thing about this neighborhood is the school. Everyone keeps up their yards but there’s this hulking abandoned behemoth. That’s an ideal situation for us. We think this type of thing is fun.” From there, things began to turn around.

Because of it’s location in the historic district, all changes had to be formally approved. A matching section of new construction was also added to the building. Some of the lofts even have original restored old chalk boards in the living rooms. The lofts were completed in 2004. The behemoth became a bright spot for the neighborhood. A small park and garden was added at the north end of the property. So many Capitol Hill children have visited the park that the rubber surface already needs to be replaced. It’s doubtful that many of residents at Lovejoy Lofts know the story of the school or the man for whom it is named and how his life was ended that night in 1837.

Alton news account cont’d

“Leaders of the mob called for a ladder, which was put up on the side of the building. A boy with a torch was sent up to set fire to the wooden roof. Elijah Lovejoy and one of his supporters, Royal Weller, volunteered to stop the boy. The two men crept out- side, hiding in the shadows of the building. Surprising the mob, they rushed to the ladder, pushed it over and quickly retreated inside.

Once again a ladder was put in place. As Lovejoy and Weller made another brave attempt to overturn the ladder, they were spotted. Lovejoy was shot five times, and Weller was also wounded. Lovejoy staggered inside the warehouse, making his way to the second floor before he finally fell.

“My God. I am shot,” he cried. He died almost immediately.

By this time the warehouse roof had begun to burn. The men remaining inside knew they had no choice but to surrender the press.

The mob rushed into the vacant building.

The press Lovejoy died defending was carried to a window and thrown out onto the river bank. It was broken into pieces that were scattered in the Mississippi River.

Fearing more violence, Lovejoy’s friends, did not remove his body from the building until the next morning.
Members of the crowd from the night before, feeling no shame at what thev had done, laughed and jeered as the funeral wagon moved slowly down the street toward Lovejoy’s home. Lovejoy was buried on November 9, 1837, his 35th birthday.”