About William Jewell College

Liberty was known as a town that was Union by day and Confederate by night. However, the building received
no serious damage during the war. In 1891, the United States Congress passed a bill, granting to the college
$2,200 as rent for the use of the campus and building during this time.
Jewell Hall stood for almost 100 years with only minor repairs. During a complete interior renovation in 1948,
architects were amazed at the original structure, which included hand-hewn oak window headings, floating
girders and walls as thick as 17 inches. The college completed another renovation of this historical building in
2000, restoring its beauty and preserving its great history.
Jewell Hall currently houses:
Business Administration and Economics Departments
Center for Academic Support
English Department
Language Department
Computer Labs
Language Lab
John Gano Memorial Chapel
John Gano Memorial Chapel was named in honor of the Reverend John Gano, who established the First
Baptist Church of New York City and served as Chaplain in the army of General George Washington. It was
dedicated on Sunday, September 26, 1926.
Construction of this classical building began in 1925 on the site of William Jewell's first science hall, which had
been destroyed by an earlier fire. Gano Chapel is built on a solid rock foundation of blue limestone. Its
beautiful stained glass windows bear the college motto Deo Fisus Labora, “Trust in God and Work.”
The primary funds for the Chapel came from Mrs. Elisabeth Johnson of Kansas City. She gave the money with
the stipulation that the chapel be named for her famous ancestor, John Gano. She also stipulated that: an oil
painting of John Gano baptizing General George Washington must always be in the chapel and that the graves
of her father and grandfather must be tended by the college.
The auditorium seats more than 800 persons and was once the scene of William Jewell's Fine Arts Program
(now the Harriman-Jewell Series). Artists performing in this nationally renowned series have included Luciano
Pavarotti, Itzhak Perlman, Marilyn Horne, Rudolf Nureyev, Leslie Nielsen, Wynton Marsalis, Jessica Tandy and
Yo-Yo Ma.
Major renovations were completed in November 2000. This included the addition of the Assembly Room and
the Steeple, which holds the Carolyne Hester Carillons. The Carillons chime every quarter hour for the campus
and Liberty community in memory of Mrs. Carolyne Hester, who served as a resident director in Melrose Hall
and whose husband taught religion at Jewell from 1926 to 1957.
Gano Chapel currently houses:
Assembly Room
Dean of the Chapel’s Office
Chapel Services
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