McKinley House - More campus buildings

Located directly south of the campus, McKinley House is where the president of Blackburn lives. The funds for McKinley House were charitably donated by William Brown McKinley. Born in Petersburg, IL in 1856, McKinley made his fortune in the transportation industry, by manufacturing electric horse-car lines between Champaign and Urbana. The overwhelming successes of this venture propelled him to develop other lines in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.

His business success and expertise soon drove him to the political arena. He served seven consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1921, he campaigned for the re-nomination of William Howard Taft and was himself elected to the Senate. When he died in 1926, several months away from completing his Senate term, McKinley's gifts to Blackburn totaled $150,000. His last gift was the money to build the charming brick home found on the corner of Nicholas Street and College Avenue.