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.”
Idlewild Home on North Mayflower Avenue Pile was a leader. In 1862 he was promoted to Captain, Lieutenant Colonel, and then Colonel of the 33rd Missouri Volunteer Infantry. By 1863 he had been promoted to Brigadier General of that same unit. After Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was signed General Pile recruited African Americans to become soldiers for the 33rd, some of whom were escaped slaves.
General Pile’s 33rd Infantry Brigade participated in a number of battles, but perhaps the most memorable was the Battle of Fort Blakely near Mobile, Alabama. In that battle General Pile’s three regiments of United States Colored Infantry routed the Confederate skirmish lines at the fort. The battle was won on April 9th, 1865, the same day General Lee surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox. It was the last major battle of the Civil War.
General Pile’s 33rd Infantry Brigade participated in a number of battles, but perhaps the most memorable was the Battle of Fort Blakely near Mobile, Alabama. In that battle General Pile’s three regiments of United States Colored Infantry routed the Confederate skirmish lines at the fort. The battle was won on April 9th, 1865, the same day General Lee surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox. It was the last major battle of the Civil War.
After the war ended Pile was elected to the House of Representatives for Missouri and served there from 1867-1869. Next he was appointed the Territorial Governor of New Mexico by President Grant, serving there until 1871. Grant then appointed him as the Ambassador to Venezuela. He acted in various capacities in Venezuela and returned to the United States in 1883.
In 1886 General Pile came out West looking for a healthy climate. He found Monrovia and he loved the place. He purchased property to grow wine grapes and had his home built on North Mayflower Avenue. Completed in 1887 the home, called Idlewild, was designed by renowned Bay Area architects Samuel and Joseph Cather Newsom.
When he arrived General Pile began to invest in the community. He helped create Monrovia’s first bank with William Monroe, Ed Spence, John Studebaker, Jerome I. Case, and John Bicknell. He worked to promote the city and was elected as one of its five directors when the city incorporated in 1887. In 1888 Pile was elected Mayor, but in 1889 he came down with a case of pneumonia and passed away on July 7 of that year. Monrovia mourned.
In his life General Pile used his talents for service on a national, international, and in the case of Monrovia, a local scale. He is one of the people who put Monrovia on the road to become the community it is today. William A. Pile's story is something to consider as you drive by his old home on Mayflower Avenue.
If you would like to learn more about General Pile and other notable people from our city’s early history you can visit the Monrovia Historical Museum. You can also purchase Richard Singer’s book, 1887: A History of Early Monrovia, available for purchase at the museum.
Check out the video below: The Freedom Fighter Who Helped Enslaved People Become Soldiers and Citizens.
In 1886 General Pile came out West looking for a healthy climate. He found Monrovia and he loved the place. He purchased property to grow wine grapes and had his home built on North Mayflower Avenue. Completed in 1887 the home, called Idlewild, was designed by renowned Bay Area architects Samuel and Joseph Cather Newsom.
When he arrived General Pile began to invest in the community. He helped create Monrovia’s first bank with William Monroe, Ed Spence, John Studebaker, Jerome I. Case, and John Bicknell. He worked to promote the city and was elected as one of its five directors when the city incorporated in 1887. In 1888 Pile was elected Mayor, but in 1889 he came down with a case of pneumonia and passed away on July 7 of that year. Monrovia mourned.
In his life General Pile used his talents for service on a national, international, and in the case of Monrovia, a local scale. He is one of the people who put Monrovia on the road to become the community it is today. William A. Pile's story is something to consider as you drive by his old home on Mayflower Avenue.
If you would like to learn more about General Pile and other notable people from our city’s early history you can visit the Monrovia Historical Museum. You can also purchase Richard Singer’s book, 1887: A History of Early Monrovia, available for purchase at the museum.
Check out the video below: The Freedom Fighter Who Helped Enslaved People Become Soldiers and Citizens.
Sources:
- Dobak, William A. Freedom By The Sword: The U.S. Colored Troops 1862-1867. Washington, D.C.,Center of Military History, United States Army, 2011. https://history.army.mil/Portals/143/Images/Publications/Publication%20By%20Title%20Images/F%20Pdf/CMH_Pub_30-24.pdf?ver=Z0uKy7lw8Ad0kbhiz15yRg%3d%3d
- Singer, Richard. 1887: A History of Early Monrovia. Monrovia California, Richard Singer, 2020.
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