NEGenWeb Project - Adams County
Who's Who in Nebraska, 1940
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happier, more stable society. In economic competition with big
farms what will be its fate? The same issue was fought out in
industry. The big factory swallowed up the small workshop.
2. Public Ownership versus Private Ownership
The problems presented by changing forms of this
question have not been decided. They are sure to be in active
controversy during the coming years.
3. Employment
The issue presented by this question goes to the
heart of the entire structure of society. It has grown steadily
more acute during the past ten years. Temporary experiments are on
trial. No permanent, equitable solution has been found. The issue
is certain to be one of the most active in the future.
4. Insurance
The present various forms of insurance--their
cost, their duplication, their efficiency, and other aspects of
the whole question of insurance as applied to human life and
affairs, are among the acute social questions of the future. Rates
of interest are inseparable from the insurance question.
5. Relief
This is chiefly another phase of the employment
question. The problem is unsolved. It is at the top of the list of
unfinished political business today.
6. The School, the Taxpayer, the Highway, the Total Public
Expenditure
These are four aspects of one question. They are
wholly unsettled and are on the blackboard for continuous public
consideration.
Nebraska's place in world history--her chief
contribution to civilization--may be summarized as follows:
She has had a large part in
(1) The dominance of the English-speaking
race.
(2) The extinction of slavery.
(3) Trans-continental highways.
(4) The subjection of savage tribes.
(5) The conquest of and lands.
(6) A re-forested world.
(7) A social plan and control for production and
exchange.
Helen Marie Coles
A considerable number of institutions of higher learning have, at one time or another, existed in Nebraska. We attempt herein to set forth a few details concerning some of the more important colleges.
First Institutions
At the first session of the territorial
legislature early in 1855 charters were granted for the
incorporation of three institutions of higher learning: the first
to Nebraska University, to be located at Fontanelle; the second to
Simpson University, a Methodist school at Omaha City; and the
third to Nebraska City Collegiate and Preparatory Institute. A
charter was granted to Nemaha University at Archer in the
legislative acts of 1855-56.
At the same session, Washington College, located
at Cuming City, the Plattesmouth Preparatory and Collegiate
Institute, and the Western University at Cassville, Cass County
were granted charters. Within two years from the time the first
legal settler had entered Nebraska, provision had been made for
seven colleges and universities. The territorial legislature of
1857 chartered approximately seventeen institutions of higher
learning in various parts of the state. Only one of these
seventeen, however, became more than a paper
institution--Brownville College and Lyceum in Nemaha County.
Brownville College existed until about 1860 when crop failures and
the Civil War doomed it to extinction. Two more charters were
granted by the 1858 territorial legislature, but these charters
were as far as the colleges ever developed. During this year,
requests for land endowments were numerous. Among these requests
were Simpson University, Nebraska University at Fontanelle, and
the Marine Hospital at Belleveue: However, no known land grant was
made to Nebraska for educational purposes until after her
admission as a state.
METHODIST
Stone Seminary
The various churches made the first attempts
to establish institutions of higher learning in Nebraska. In 1864,
Elder John Young of the Methodist Protestant Church came to this
region for the purpose of founding a female seminary. He laid out
the town of Lancaster (now Lincoln) and instruction was begun in
1866 in "Stone Seminary" which was on the block in which the State
Journal now stands. This seminary was successfully conducted in
1866 and early 1867, but was destroyed by fire in 1867.
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Mount Vernon
In 1865 the Methodists of Peru, Nemaha
County, obtained a charter for a college and in 1866 the
institution opened under the title of Mount Vernon College. After
a financial struggle in which the promised subscriptions were paid
in land, horses, cattle, hogs--everything but money--the founders
offered the school to the Methodist Episcopal conference, but the
conference refused it. The founders then offered to give the lands
and buildings to the state, provided a state institution were
endowed and supported there. This offer was accepted and in 1867 a
normal school was chartered.
York College
In 1879 the Methodists made provision for
the location of a conference seminary in York, although there was
a struggle to locate it in Osceola where a private school was
already established, supported by the Methodists of that section.
The academy at York was opened in 1880 and was conducted as an
academy until 1883, when it was incorporated as a college, with a
medical college located at Omaha. In 1888, after several years of
financial struggle, the college property was sold. The library and
museum were transferred to Nebraska Wesleyan, at the opening of
that institution in 1888, and grades and degrees of York College
were recognized by Wesleyan.
Nebraska Central
The school which finally developed into
Nebraska Central College was organized about 1879 at Osceola, as a
private academy, by Rev. J. J. Fleharty of the Methodist Church. A
few years after he had failed to obtain its adoption as a
conference seminary, Rev. Mr. Fleharty transferred the school to
Fullerton, hoping that a new location would cause its adoption.
But his hopes were vain and after his death the school was
reorganized, moved to Central City, and named Nebraska Central
College. The Northern Nebraska Central Conference in 1886 gave its
official sanction to the school, which continued as a
denominational institution until about 1890 when it was
discontinued, overwhelmed with debt. It was for a time a
department of Nebraska Wesleyan.
Mallalieu
Another early Methodist institution was
Mallalieu University, located near the station of Bartley in 1886.
After struggling for existence for two years, it finally ceased to
exist.
Nebraska Wesleyan
The Methodists realized that unless a
different policy were adopted soon, the results of debts and
jealousies of various schools and sections in the state would
again leave them without an educational institution in Nebraska.
In 1879 the Nebraska conference resolved to adopt Nebraska
Wesleyan As their one state university provided it complied with
stated building requirements. However nothing was done about this
resolution until 1886, when delegates of the various conferences
met in Lincoln to discuss the situation. As a result of this
meeting, Lincoln was chosen as the seat of the new university and
it was decided that all schools or colleges which were property of
the church should be incorporated as departments of Nebraska
Wesleyan. LeGrand M. Baldwin donated land for the location of the
university in present University Place, and instruction began in
1888. Wesleyan University also maintained a Wesleyan Academy in
University Place. Two other academies, Douglas and Orleans, were
once affiliated with Nebraska Wesleyan but died for want of
patronage.
Sacred Heart Academy
The Methodists were not the only sect which
recognized the need for higher education, for in 1881 the
Catholics established the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Omaha.
This institution was for the purpose of imparting higher education
to young women in the state, and, unlike the Methodist
institutions, was supported entirely by tuition rather than by
endowment.
Catholic Schools
Catholic schools established in Lincoln
included the Convent School, St. Theresa's High School, and the
Schools of St. Francis DeSales. The St. Francis Academy was
established at Columbus in 1882 by the Order of St. Francis of
Assissi.
Duchesne
Duchesne was founded in Omaha in 1881; it is
a tuition school, privately controlled Catholic Womens
College.
Creighton
Creighton University, founded in 1878 by the
Jesuit Fathers, and located at Omaha, is the foremost institution
of college rank in the state under the control of the Catholics.
The college received its name from Edward Creighton from whose
estate it derives its endowment. In 1879 Rt. Rev. James O'Connor
vested the entire property and securities of Creighton College in
an educational corporation, Creighton University and its doors
opened to students that year. There is no tuition. The medical
department was authorized in 1892 and has always been closely
associated with the Creighton Memorial--St. Joseph's Hospital.
St. Ursula's
With the departure of the Methodist school,
York College, the nuns of the Ursuline Order purchased the grounds
and buildings of that institution and founded St. Ursula's
Academy, which is still in active and successful operation in
York.
St. Columbans
St. Columbans, of the Society of St.
Columbans, opened in 1922 at St. Columbans, near Bellevue; it is
the principal order of the seminary in the United States for the
education of Catholic priests for mission fields of China.
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Present Catholic Schools
Present Catholic institutions of higher
learning in Nebraska include the College of St. Mary, a girls
school founded in 1923 in Omaha by the Sisters of Mercy; the
Immaculate Conception Seminary at Hastings, maintained by the
Crosier Fathers; St. Agnes Academy at Alliance; Novitiate "Corpus
Christi Carmel" at Kearney; St. Patrick's Academy at Sidney; the
Spalding Academy; the Ursuline Convent of Divine Providence and
Sacred Heart Academy at Falls City; the Academy of St. Bernard at
Nebraska City; the Nazareth Convent at York; the Academy of the
Sacred Heart, Notre Dame High School and Academy, the Convent of
Mercy, Franciscan Monastery of St. Clare, Novitiate of the
Servants of Mary, Convent of Our Lady of Sorrows, and Novitiate of
the School Sisters de Notre Dame, all at Omaha; St. Catherine's
High School and Academy at Jackson; St. Mary's High School and
Academy at O'Neill; and the Trade School at Father Flanagan's Boys
Home at Boy's Town. The colleges previously mentioned which are
still in existence are Duchesne, Creighton and St. Ursula's.
York College was founded by the United Brethren in Christ. These brethren had been seeking a better location for their growing college at Gibbon and when the Methodists vacated the York field, the Brethren decided to occupy it. Their school has grown to be an important educational institution. It opened its doors to students in the fall of 1890, and, different from many of the smaller colleges in Nebraska, has managed to keep them open during the years of depression and drouth.
Nebraska Central
Not until 1899 did the Quakers make any
attempt to establish a school for higher education in Nebraska. In
1898 the Friends purchased a building and a 27 acre campus at
Central City; this site was the one which the Methodist school,
Nebraska Central College, had occupied until 1895. Nebraska
Central College at Central City still exists under the control of
the Quakers.
Fort Atkinson
The first school ever to be established in
what is now Nebraska, though not an institution of higher
learning, merits mention here. In 1819 a school was established at
Fort Atkinson for the benefit of the children who lived in and
near the post. This school was conducted until 1827.
Missionary School
In 1833 Moses Merrill and his wife came as
Baptist missionaries to Bellevue, where Mrs. Merrill opened a
missionary school under the auspices of the Baptist Foreign
Missionary Society.
Gibbon Seminary
In 1880 Gibbon, Buffalo County, offered
inducements to locate a Baptist school there and the proposition
was accepted by the Baptist convention The Gibbon Seminary was
formally opened in 1880, struggled through five years of existence
and was closed by vote of the state convention in 1885.
Grand Island College
The Grand Island Baptist College was
incorporated in 1892, and existed until 1931, when it was merged
with the Baptist College at Sioux Falls, S. D. The Central Baptist
Bible Seminary existed in Stromsburg in about 1886.
Nebraska University at Fontanelle
In 1855 when the tract for the village of
Fontanelle was surveyed, 112 acres were set apart for Nebraska
University, which came into legal existence at that time, but no
buildings were constructed nor any steps made further than
discussion, until it was reorganized under Congregational control
in 1858. (It is believed that Nebraska University was, in the
beginning, a Baptist institution). It was opened in 1858,
continued a single term, then closed for six years. In 1864 it
again opened and enjoyed a successful regime until support of the
Congregational Association was withdrawn in 1869. A short boom
followed and the school was renamed Fontanelle College but various
difficulties were encountered, mostly financial, and it was closed
in 1874, never to be reopened. According to some historians it
later became Doane College at Crete.
Santee Normal
The Santee Normal Training School was
founded in 1870 or 1871 by the American Board, and supervised by
Rev. A. L. Riggs. Later it was transferred to the American
Missionary Association. Its purpose was the preparation of young
Indian men and women for missionary and educational leadership
among their own people. The school was discontinued in 1928.
Doane
In 1872 a Congregational institution of
higher education was legally established in Crete. This was named
Doane College in recognition of the services of Thomas Doane,
benefactor. Crete Academy had existed in 1871-72. Like most of the
other Nebraska Colleges, Doane had a difficult struggle for
existence, but with financial aid from many friends and
benefactors, it passed the crisis and has grown to its present
status.
Gates College
In 1882 Gates College was opened in Neligh
after location had been considered at Genoa, on the old Pawnee
Reservation. Although established and supported by the
Congregationalists, the college was never fully endorsed by the
State Association.
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In 1892, it was suggested that Gates and Doane Colleges be joined but Gates refused. In 1895 Gates trustees voted to remove the college to Norfolk; however, much objection was encountered, so the officials merely resigned and threw their support to the institution at Norfolk, which was christened Norfolk College. Norfolk was discontinued in 1898, but the controversy had so weakened Gates College that it, too, resigned its charter and became an academy in 1899, leaving Doane as the only Congregational institution of higher learning in the state.
Franklin Academy-Others
Franklin Academy represented Congregational
interests in southwest Nebraska and is named for the village in
which it was located in 1881. After 1886 military drill formed
part of the discipline of the academy. In 1902 Dupre Music Hall
was built. In 1922 the academy closed, and the campus became the
property of Franklin. In 1885 instruction was begun in the Weeping
Water Academy, a Congregational institution. In 1889 Chadron
Academy, also Congregational, opened for instruction. It expanded
into Chadron Business College and later the Chadron Academy School
of Music was added.
German Pro-Seminary
The German Theological Seminary, or German
Pro-Seminary during the first fifteen years of its existence, was
located at Crete. It was founded in 1878 and used a portion of the
Doane "academy building." It was located in Crete until 1894 when
it became Wilton German-English College, Wilton, Ia. Until 1882 it
was theological; after that year it offered merely literary
courses at Crete, the theological department having been
transferred to Chicago Theological Seminary.
Union College
Founded in 1891 through efforts of the
Seventh-day Adventist denomination to meet educational needs of
its members in the midwest, Union College is located in College
View, a suburb of Lincoln. Union College has a co-operative system
whereby the students work on the 120 acre farm, in various shops,
or in one of the dozen campus buildings, thus contributing to a
balanced education, and supplementing their finances. The
institution was accredited as a college in 1937.
Lutheran Academy
According to some historians, the Lutheran
Academy, the first Lutheran institution west of the Mississippi,
was founded in Homer, Dakota County, in 1885. It was moved to
Wayne in 1887, when that community offered more to the school.
Luther Academy
Under management of the Nebraska Conference
of the Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod, and supported by the
Swedish Lutherans of the state, Luther Academy was organized in
1883 at Wahoo. There was no endowment, contributions being taken
in the conference each year, and tuition fees furnishing the rest
of the funds for the maintenance of the institution.
Concordia Teachers
In 1894 Concordia Teachers Seminary was
founded in Seward by the pioneers of Lutheranism in Nebraska. For
the first eleven years of its existence it was a three-year
preparatory school from which students were supposed to go to
Addison, Ill., to finish their last two years. However, this was
rather unsatisfactory, and in 1905 Concordia became a full-fledged
Teachers Seminary, as which it still exists.
According to the Concordia Cyclopedia, the
Missouri Synod took over the school in 1893 and it is believed
that it may have been established before that time.
Midland
Midland College was so named because of its
location near the center of the country. It was the first and only
college in the United States founded by the Board of Education of
the General Synod Lutheran Church; it was established at Atchison,
Kas., in 1887. In 1919 the College Board of Trustees purchased the
plant formerly occupied by the Fremont Normal and Business College
which had been established in 1884 and Midland was moved to
Fremont. The Western Theological Seminary, located at Fremont, was
transferred there from Atchison, Kas., together with Midland, with
which it is connected.
Dana
Dana College and Trinity Seminary at Blair,
in 1936 celebrated "Fifty Years of Progress." The institution
dates back to 1884 when the United Danish Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America was founded. One of the first acts of the synod
was the founding of this institution. The administration building
was dedicated in 1886. At first the purpose of the institution was
to prepare young men for the ministry; later it became an academy,
and teacher training courses were added. It is the only four year
college in America founded by Danish people, and the only college
of the United Danish Evangelical Church. It is located west of
Blair. In 1936 Dana College acquired a 103 acre farm, where its
students work and help to defray their expenses. This farm is also
used as a working laboratory for the department of
agriculture.
Bellevue College
Bellevue College was established by vote of
the Presbyterian Synod of Nebraska in 1880 as the Synodical
College of Nebraska; it opened at Bellevue in 1883. In 1892 new
articles of incorporation
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were filed in Sarpy County and in Douglas County, by which the
name was changed to the University of Omaha, Bellevue College
continuing as the department of letters, philosophy, science and
arts. Omaha Medical College was organized in 1881 and was
affiliated with the University of Omaha as a medical department in
1891. In 1908-09 the University of Omaha consisted of the College,
Normal School, Academy, and School of Music and Art. This
University of Omaha, however, is not the same as the Municipal
University of Omaha, which was established by Dr. Daniel E.
Jenkins in 1909. Bellevue College closed its doors in 1918; in
1934 Bellevue Vocational School, sponsored by the FERA, opened on
the site of Bellevue College.
Otoe University
Otoe University was established in 1859 by
the Presbyterians; shortly after 1871 the property was sold to
Nebraska College which was founded by Bishop Clarkson in 1867.
Seminaries
In 1861-63 the Female Seminary, sponsored by
the Presbyterian sect, was successfully conducted. Later the Male
and Female College maintained a foothold for a few months but
proved unprofitable and was discontinued. These two institutions
were located in Nebraska City.
Hastings College
In 1882 Hastings College was opened by the
Presbyterians. Hon. Cyrus H. McCormick and Hon. J. B. Heartwell
were early benefactors. The college was almost self supporting; a
complete industrial department was established, by means of which
food was raised and prepared by the students and the surplus was
sold to defray college expenses.
Presbyterian Theological Seminary
The Presbyterian Theological Seminary was
established in Omaha in 1891 to prepare young men for the
Presbyterian ministry. The present building was erected in
1902.
Shoenberger Hall
The Shoenberger Hall, select school for
girls, was established in 1870 under patronage of the Episcopal
Church of the State.
Talbot Hall-Brownell Hall
The first school for the young women of
Nebraska was organized in 1863 by Bishop Talbot, at Saratoga, a
small village just north of Omaha. Controlled by the
Episcopalians, it was moved to Omaha in 1867 where it still exists
as Brownell Hall, a preparatory school for girls. Talbot Hall,
also Episcopal, was a school for boys established at Nebraska
City; it was discontinued in 1884.
Worthington Military Academy
Worthington Military Academy was founded in
Lincoln in 1895 by the Grand View Building Association; it was
conducted on Episcopal principles. It was closed in 1898 after
fire destroyed the building in which it was housed. The Nebraska
Military Academy was a classical and commercial Episcopal school
for boys. It was located in Grandview Residence Park, Lincoln.
Fairfield Normal
The planting of a Christian College at
Fairfield in 1884 was the first realized attempt of the Christian
Church toward higher education in Nebraska. At first the school
was called Fairfield Normal and Collegiate Institute, but in 1889
was renamed Fairfield College. Several unsuccessful attempts were
made to unite Fairfield College and Cotner University when the
financial condition of the former became strained and in 1898
Fairfield was discontinued.
Cotner
In 1888 the cornerstone of Cotner University
was laid in "Bethany Heights," suburb of Lincoln. The first
session of "Christian University" was held in 1889 and, sponsored
by the Christian Church, it stressed Bible study in the
curriculum. In 1890 the name of the college was changed to Cotner
University in honor of Samuel Cotner of Omaha, who donated a tract
of land to the university. Also in 1890 a Medical College was
established, which, a few years later was moved to Lincoln, and in
1911 its name was changed to Cotner University Medical College. In
1913, however, the two were separated. In 1899 the Lincoln Dental
College of Cotner University was established, but after a short
period, this relationship also was severed. Cotner College was
discontinued in 1933, and for about two years, Cotner diplomas
were granted by Nebraska Wesleyan to those who had received their
undergraduate work at Cotner.
Bennet Academy
Bennet Academy was established at Bennet by
the founders of Christian University in 1890, and existed until
1896 when it was discontinued due to financial difficulties.
In 1869, only two years after her admission.
as a state, Nebraska passed the act for her university, providing
that "the State University and State Agricultural College shall be
united as one educational institution and shall be located-upon a
reservation selected by said commission in said "Lincoln" . . . .
". In 1871 the combined institution of the State Agricultural
College and the University of Nebraska opened its doors to
students. During its existence many attempts have been made to
sever the agricultural college from the university. However, all
such efforts have failed and the College of Agriculture campus
remains in Lincoln.
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Omaha Medical
Incorporated in 1881, the Omaha Medical
College assumed its present name in 1902, when it entered into an
agreement with the University of Nebraska whereby the first two
years of the medical course were to be given at Lincoln and the
last two at Omaha.
STATE TEACHERS COLLEGES
Peru State Teachers College
In 1860 Peru Seminary and College was
incorporated, and by provision in the charter, a portion of the
college property, the buildings and 40 acres of land, were freed
from taxation, the first time an exception of this kind had been
made for a Nebraska college. In 1867, the same year that Nebraska
became a state, the legislature provided for the establishment of
a training school for teachers at Peru. This was the third state
normal west of the Missouri river, and for thirty-eight years was
the only one in Nebraska.
Wayne State Teachers College
In the summer of 1891, a normal school was
conducted in the public school building at Wayne; this institution
was so well attended and aroused so much interest that a company
was formed, land was purchased and a permanent institution was
founded with Professor J. M. Pile as president and owner. At his
death a bill was passed in the legislature, providing for purchase
of the institution. In 1910 the school was reorganized as a state
normal school.
Kearney State Teachers College
In 1903 the state legislature appropriated
$50,000 for a building in which to establish a state normal school
for western Nebraska. In 1904 Kearney was selected by the State
Normal Board of Education, as the location of the new school. As a
gift the city of Kearney presented approximately twenty-five acres
of land and a building for the women's dormitory. The first
session of the Kearney Normal opened in 1905 in the Kearney high
school building; it has developed from the first enrollment of 124
to more than 1500.
Chadron State Teachers College
Chadron Normal was established by the state
legislature in 1911. Along with all other state normals, it was
made a State Teachers College by special act of the legislature in
1921 with authority to grant B. A. degrees. The 1927 legislature
extended additional authority, and the State Teachers Colleges,
thereafter, were able to grant B. Se. and B. F. A. degrees.
University of Omaha
The University of Omaha, incorporated in
1908, inaugurated its educational work in 1909. Under
authorization of an act passed by the legislature in 1928
empowering cities of the metropolitan class to vote on the
establishment and maintenance of municipal universities, the
Greater Omaha Association initiated a movement to obtain for Omaha
a Municipal University. This resulted in the establishment of the
Municipal University of Omaha by vote of the citizens of Omaha in
1930. Under guidance of the Board of Regents, the old University
of Omaha, established as such by Dr. Daniel E. Jenkins in 1909
became the Municipal University of Omaha in 1931.
Conservatory of Music
The Nebraska Conservatory of Music was
founded in Lincoln in 1889 by Mr. and Mrs. O. B. Howell. In
addition to its music and fine arts course, it also issued
teachers certificates.
Normal University
Nebraska Normal University was established
in Normal, a suburb of Lincoln, in 1891.
School for the Deaf
The Nebraska School for the Deaf was
established in Omaha in 1867 by the twelfth territorial
legislature which passed an act providing for perpetual
establishment of the Omaha Deaf and Dumb Institute.
School for the Blind
The State Institution for the Blind was
opened in 1875 in Nebraska City, where it still exists.
Junior Colleges
McCook Junior College was formally opened in
1926. It was the first public junior college organized in
Nebraska. In 1931 it was recognized by the state legislature as a
legal part of the educational organization of the state. In
addition to the junior colleges already mentioned, Scottsbluff
Junior College, Hebron Junior College, and the Omaha "Y" School of
Business Administration exist as accredited junior colleges in
Nebraska.
Other Colleges
In 1864 All Souls College was established at
Bellevue, Sarpy County. That same year a charter was granted to
Nemaha Valley and Normal Institute at Pawnee City. This was the
first instance in the history of the state where the buildings
were already in existence when the charter was granted. The 1865
legislature provided for the Johnson County Seminary at Tecumseh,
which existed but a year.
- Nebraska: Federal Writers Project.
- College Bulletins and Catalogues.
- Newspaper Clippings and County Histories.
- Nebraska State Journal Educational Souvenir.
- U. S. Bureau of Education, Circular of Information No. 3, 1902.
- History of Cotner University by Leon A.Moomaw.
- A History of Nebraska Methodism by Marquette.
- Andreas History of Nebraska.
- Thesis, The Beginnings of Formal Education In Nebraska by Hayden Hughes.
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