After a three-year hiatus, the historic Eleutherian College will open to the public for its annual fall gathering from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 15 on the college grounds at 6927 W. State Road 250 in Lancaster in Jefferson County.

The public is invited to tour the national historic landmark, which is part of the National Park Service’s National Underground Network to Freedom, and see the recent restoration work to the three-story stone building, completed in 1856. That work has been funded by grants from the Indiana Historical Society and the Dovie Stewart Cox and Chester A. Cox Sr. Memorial Fund and Stanford H. Cox Fund.

Guests also can catch up on the latest plans for returning to the founders’ original mission of education, including a new outdoor classroom built by Ben Hardin and funded by a Lilly Scholars Lead Forward Community Grant.

Information also will be available about the Summer Science Institute, which premiered in June. The goal of the institute is to prepare and recruit high school students to become teachers in the subjects of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). This year’s pilot program was funded by the Community Foundation of Madison and Jefferson County.

Research to unearth the accomplishments of students who attended the school during the mid-1800s and late 1800s to 1939 when the building housed the township school for Lancaster.

Presentations during the event will reveal the latest research findings on families with ties to the college.

The public is welcome to bring a picnic lunch or enjoy a hot dog on the grounds along with a camera and paintbrush to capture the spirit of this special place.

According to the college’s website, it was founded in 1848 by the Rev. Thomas Craven of Oxford, Ohio, who came to Lancaster as a guest preacher at Neil Creek Abolition Baptist Church. Lancaster, 10 miles north of Madison, was an anti-slavery stronghold in the pre-Civil War era. The Underground Railroad operated nearby, hiding slaves fleeing to the north.

In 1856, there were 18 Black students, 10 of whom were born slaves. In 1860, 200 students were enrolled in the college. Disbanded shortly after the Civil War, Eleutherian became a teacher training school in 1878. Ten years later, it was deeded to the township and was used as a grade school until 1937.

For information, visit eleutherian-college.org.