2005 Jacobs Hall

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Marker reads, Kentucky School for the Deaf first opened 1823 in Danville, at 4th and Main Streets. In 1826, it moved to this campus. Jacobs Hall is oldest surviving building, constructed 1855-1857, of Italianate design by architect Thomas Lewinski. Its interior is marked by a main hall with curving staircase and four-story atrium open to the cupola. Exterior remains unchanged. Back of Marker- John A. Jacobs, Senior 1806-1869 - Kentucky School for the Deaf first trained teacher, principal, third superintendent, 1825-1869. A Centre College student, he was sent in 1824 to Hartford, Connecticut, for training under Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc, pioneers of deaf education in America. He introduced Methodical Signs here and authored texts for deaf students.