Jacobs Hall, Kentucky School for the Deaf

About this property

The Kentucky School for the Deaf (KSD), located in Danville, Kentucky, United States, is a school that provides education to deaf and hard-of-hearing children from elementary through high school levels. Founded in 1823, it was the first school for the deaf west of the Allegheny Mountains. Jacobs Hall, its oldest surviving building (built 1857), was designated a National Historic Landmark in recognition of this history. KSD was established as the Kentucky Asylum for the Tuition of the Deaf and Dumb on April 10, 1823. It was the first state-supported school of its kind in the United States and the first school for the deaf west of the Allegheny Mountains. The deaf were a special concern of General Elias Barbee, a Kentucky state senator, whose daughter was deaf. In 1822, Barbee and John Rowan wrote legislation authorizing the creation of the school. On December 7, 1822, it was signed into law by Kentucky Governor John Adair. With the help of Henry Clay, KSD received two federal land grants in 1826 and 1836. This land in Florida and Arkansas was eventually sold to finance the construction of school facilities. In the early years it was thought that the Kentucky school might be able to meet the educational needs of all deaf people in the southern and western United States. Pupils from all the southern states except Florida, and from as far away as Montana, attended KSD. Eventually, other states established their own schools for deaf students. The Centre College Board of Trustees operated the school until 1870. It was then governed by its own board of commissioners. Since 1960, the Kentucky Board of Education and Department of Education have governed the school. Many of the officers and teachers at KSD have had long tenures. George M. McClure was associated with the school for eighty years as both pupil and teacher. The school has had fourteen superintendents since its inception. The Rev. John Rice Kerr, the first superintendent, and John Adamson Jacobs, the third superintendent, are credited with nurturing the school from its infancy. Jacobs began his work in 1825, became superintendent in 1835, and held that office until his death in 1869. KSD lies on 166 acres (67 ha) near the center of Danville. Buildings on the campus are listed below. It has been proposed that the campus be reduced to 50 acres (20 ha), demolishing or selling several of the buildings. Argo-McClure Hall (1964) – technology classes for elementary, middle and high school Barbee Hall (1966) – currently empty middle school girls' dormitory Beauchamp Hall (1966) – currently empty middle school boys' dormitory

Location

Categories

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

More in Boyle County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Boyle County.

More historic places in Kentucky

Browse all historic places in Kentucky.

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Kentucky history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.