By Oliver Beckwith, MHM Board Member
Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress You should know that Monrovia’s first mayor was William Newton Monroe, but what do you know about the city’s second mayor, William A. Pile? He was one of the early founders and promoters of Monrovia, and today his Idlewild Home on North Mayflower Avenue is a local landmark.
William Anderson Pile was born on February 11, 1829, near Indianapolis, Indiana. After receiving a formal education he became a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church. When the Civil War broke out he signed on as a Chaplain for the 1st Missouri Light Artillery Regiment. Soon Pile joined in the physical struggle to preserve the Union, and he became known as the “Fighting Parson.”
William Anderson Pile was born on February 11, 1829, near Indianapolis, Indiana. After receiving a formal education he became a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church. When the Civil War broke out he signed on as a Chaplain for the 1st Missouri Light Artillery Regiment. Soon Pile joined in the physical struggle to preserve the Union, and he became known as the “Fighting Parson.”
RSS Feed