Former name | Caldwell Institute for Young Ladies (1860–1876) Caldwell Female College (1876–1887) Caldwell College (1887–1913) |
|---|---|
| Type | Private women's |
| Active | September 1860–1930 |
| Location | ,, United States |
| Nickname | Wahpanoochis |
Kentucky College for Women, also known asCaldwell College, was a non-profit privatewomen's college and preparatory school inDanville, Kentucky. It opened as theCaldwell Institutefor Young Ladies in 1860. It merged withCentre College in 1930.
in 1854, the Kentucky legislature authorized a charter for theHenderson Female Institute.[1] The institute's board of trustees selected a site for its campus and began to raise funds. A four-story brick building was constructed in 1859.[2] That same year, Professor A. E. Sloan became the institute's president.[2] When the school finally opened in September 1860, it name had changed to theCaldwell Institute for Young Ladies.[2][3]
Caldwell Institute struggled to operate during theCivil War. Sloan resigned in 1864 and was replaced by Professor Augustine Hart.[2] A year later, Hart was replaced by Rev. L. G. Barbour who was the institute's president until his resignation in 1874.[2] The Second Presbyterian Church took over the school's operation in 1874.[2]
The Presbyterian Church changed the institute's name toCaldwell Female College in 1876.[2] The college building was destroyed by fire in April 1876.[2] Its trustees received insurance money but could not rebuild the college.[2]
In 1880, the trustees bought the formerDanville Classical and Military Institute (now the site ofDanville High School).[2] Caldwell Female College reopened at its new location in September 1881. Its campus had limited accommodation for boarding students.[4] It president was Rev. John Montgomery.[2][5] In the 1882–83 school year, the college had 130 students.[6] The college absorbedBell Seminary, a local girls' school in 1885.[2]
Charlotte A. Campbell became the college's president in 1886, serving until 1897.[2] In early 1887, the college's name was shortened to Caldwell College.[2] Dr. John C. Ely became its president in 1897.[2] He was succeeded by John C. Acheson in 1902.[2] Acheson expanded the college's curriculum, making it an accredited junior college.[2] In June 1912, the college announced that it had raised $100,000 for campus improvements.[7] Its trustees also adopted a plan for new buildings.[7]
On January 11, 1913, the board of trustees announced that the institution's name would change to Kentucky College for Women.[7] The college had received a gift of $57,000 ($1,590,741 in 2022 money) from Dr. Nathaniel W. Conkling on New York, as well gifts totaling $175,000 ($5,567,593 in 2022 money) from other donors.[7] The money was to help the non-profit college add buildings and grow into "one of the greatest colleges for higher education of women in the country".[7][8] Conkling's gift was earmarked for Morgan Memorial Hall, honoring his friend, Mrs. Florence Morgan, who had supported women's education.[7] He also required the name change to Kentucky College for Women as a condition of his gift.[7]
President Acheson oversaw the addition of numerous buildings to the college campus, including East Hall, Morgan Hall, and the gymnasium.[2] ThePrinceton Collegiate Institute ofPrinceton, Kentucky merged with the Kentucky College for Women in 1913.[2] Frances Simrall Riker replaced Acheson as the college's president in 1914.[2] The dean of the college in 1914 was Ruth Andrus.[8] Riker was replaced by M. Marshall Allen in 1915.[2] However, Acheson returned as the college's president in 1922.[2] By 1922, the college had expanded its curriculum to offer four years of college and a Bachelor of Arts degree.[2] Although the college seemed successful, it had financial problems.[2] Acheson left in 1925 and was replaced by Paul B. Boyd.[2]
Kentucky College for Women operated as a department ofCentre College in 1926; it officially merged with Centre College in 1930 and operated as its women's division.[2] In January 1962, the Centre campus became coed, resulting in the closure of the former Kentucky College for Women campus.[2] Centre College maintains an archive of the records from Caldwell College and the Kentucky College for Women.[9]
Caldwell College was located in Danville, Kentucky on the site of today'sDanville High School.[2][10] Its main building was West Hall.[10] The campus also included a small chapel designed by architect J. R. Carrigan in 1882.[10][11] In 1882, the college could accommodate forty boarding students.[6] A gymnasium was added in 1911.[12] It included a basketaball court, a bowling alley, and a swimming pool.[8] The campus was expanded to include East Hall which included dormitory rooms and a dining hall.[13][14][8] Morgan Hall was added around 1914; it house the college's library.[8][15] The campus also featured an aesthetic garden.[16]
Before 1902, the college's curriculum focused on high school education and a college preparatory certificate.[2][8] In 1902, it was also an accredited junior college.[2] Its junior college coursework included English, history, Latin, mathematics, modern languages, and sciences.[8] Students also had a choice of electives, including art and music.[8] The music department taught harmony, music history, music theory, and instruction in thepianoforte, violin, and vocal performance.[8] The college included a two-year program inhome economics, with related classrooms and laboratories.[8] The college began offering four years of college education and a B.A. degree in 1922.[2]
Caldwell College encouraged its students to participate in sports, including field hockey, soccer, and tennis.[8] The college also had a Wahpanoochis intramural basketball team.[17] In addition, there was the Caldwell College Broom Brigade, consisting of twenty members which drilled with brooms and a drummer.[16] The students also participated in theatrical productions.[18] Caldwell College had a chapter ofKappa Delta from June 1907 to 1908.
The Kentucky College for Women hosted an Artist Series that brought vocalists and instrumental artists to perform for the students.[8] A dietitian to oversee the students' meals.[8]
An alumnae association was established in 1882, during a reunion of graduates of Calwell Female Institute.[5]
