Carthage College

The campus is located on the beautiful Lake Michigan shore with educational, artistic and athletic events open to the public. Host of the Carthage Chamber Music Series, bringing world-class entertainment to Kenosha, along with drama productions, music performances, and free exhibitions in the H.F. Johnson Gallery of Art. Carthage was established in 1847 as a liberal arts educational institute, and has expanded its offerings to include evening adult classes and Master's programs.

Did you know?

• Carthage’s 80-acre campus is an arboretum and wildlife sanctuary. The general public is invited to tour the Alice Moody Chapin Arboretum and Phil Sanders Audubon Cooperative Wildlife Sanctuary during the daylight hours.
• Since 1997, Abraham Lincoln has stood larger than life on the campus. Seated nearby is John Hay, distinguished alumnus and former U.S. Secretary of State. The bronze sculpture is a landmark on the campus, celebrating the connection Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Hay have to Carthage, and illustrating the passage of wisdom from one generation to the next. Through the first year of his presidency, Mr. Lincoln served as a trustee at Illinois State University, which later became Carthage. Mr. Hay attended Illinois State and later served as Mr. Lincoln’s personal secretary. Titled “A Learning Moment,” the sculpture depicts the elder statesman recounting a story to his protégé. The sculptor is Michael Martino.
• The Center for Children’s Literature features a nationally recognized collection of more than 25,000 titles meant to instill a love of reading in children. The center also organizes workshops, reading programs, and lectures from well-known authors.
• The Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium (WSGC) is part of a national network of consortia funded by NASA’s National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program. Congress established the program in 1988 to contribute to the nation’s scientific enterprise through research, education, and public service projects. Carthage College has been the lead institution for WSGC since August 2014.
• The Carthage Institute of Astronomy is associated with the Griffin Observatory located at Kemper Center, 6501 Third Ave. The Griffin Observatory allows adventurers to see the universe from a historic setting, using modern technology. Following a four-year renovation, the 19th century astronomy laboratory has taken on new life as a stargazing, teaching and recreation facility. It's open to the public on select dates.
• Vertebrate Paleontologist Dr. Thomas Carr is a Carthage College faculty member and senior scientific adviser to the Dinosaur Discovery Museum (located in Kenosha), which houses the Carthage Institute of Paleontology (CIP) laboratory. Since 2006, Dr. Carr has led study tours to the Hell Creek Formation in southeastern Montana, which contains fossils of the last dinosaurs to live in the American West. The DDM is a federally designated repository for the fossils that the CIP collects from federal lands; DDM staff assists the CIP in collecting fossils and transporting them from Montana to Kenosha.

(Information from Carthage College website and media releases.)