Columbia College

By Charles Israel and Elizabeth DuRant

In 1854, founders of the South Carolina Methodist Conference established an all-female school in Columbia, South Carolina. Known originally as Columbia Female College, today's Columbia College has suffered and survived hardships, faced challenges, and flourished during its almost 150-year history as an institution of higher learning. The college has succeeded in its mission to provide quality liberal arts education for women and has become one of the leading establishments of its kind in the South. Included within these pages are vintage images of the school throughout the past century and a half. The ever-changing physical attributes of the college--classrooms, administration buildings, ornate gates, and dormitories--as well as the students and faculty who helped shape the college into what it is today are commemorated here in both word and image. From the trials of campus fires and the closing of the school during the Civil War to the triumphs of American artist Georgia O'Keeffe's tenure and the receipt of honors such as the prestigious Hesbergh award, Columbia College has emerged as a well-respected school for women.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Oct 9, 2001
• ISBN: 9781439610916

Charles Israel

In Columbia College, Charles Israel, a professor of English, and Elizabeth DuRant, an archivist and graduate of Columbia College, have combined archival photographs and official documents with informative captions to celebrate the school's many achievements. Their efforts bring to center stage the college's storied past, its thriving present, and a future that promises continued success for its students, faculty, and graduates.

Book preview

College.

INTRODUCTION

The Methodist Conference of South Carolina funded Columbia Female College in 1854 as a part of a national surge in the establishment of church-related liberal arts colleges. As we approach the college’s sesquicentennial celebration, it is fitting to take a retrospective look at the people and events which have shaped and sustained the institution through the decades.

The long history of Columbia College has been built by the endeavors of tens of thousands of people, past and present, who have held forth the ideal of a liberal arts college for women as a mainstay of our culture. That ideal has survived and flourished for almost a century and a half, through periods of prosperity and growth as well as through periods of struggle and cataclysmic destruction.

A look into the recorded history of the college will point to the palpable spirit that has sustained the college through severe trials. One such test came when the college was forced to close its doors in 1865 because of the physical and economic devastation caused by the Civil War. For eight years afterwards, Methodist ministers, lay people, and supporters of the college canvassed the state’s churches and communities asking for money to reopen the college. The annual reports of the Methodist Conference attest to their diligence and commitment on behalf of the college. South Carolina’s destitute citizens contributed their scarce pennies and nickels to the cause. Hard work and sacrifice allowed the college to reopen in 1873 with renewed hope and energy.

In the last century, the college survived two devastating fires. In 1909, the elaborate structure built on the site of the present campus was completely destroyed by fire. And, in 1964, Old Main and East Wing burned. After each fire, the college community turned its energies and resources to rebuilding.

This book pays homage to all those who have embodied the Columbia College spirit in their lives.

Shown here is the Class of 1902. Though only 9 are pictured, 16 graduates are listed in the 1902 Columbia Female College bulletin; they are as follows: Mary Eliza McLeod, Alice Blanche DesChamps, Belle Simrill, Mable Pearle Johnson, Fannie Sue Koger, Minnie Wright Bollin, Mary Lilly Warner, Etta Blanche Skinner, Eva Nancy Stuckey, Frances Almira Davis, Ellinor Miller, Maria Michaux, Ethel Gwendolyn Rice, Jessie Goodwyn Patterson, Augusta Sprott, and Ethel Gwendolyn Rice.

One

THE EARLY DAYS

The smallest graduating class in the history of the college was in 1896, and it consisted of, from left to right, Hettie Pooser, Camilla King, and Mary Alice Dent. There was a total enrollment that year of 135 students.

The first campus of Columbia Female College on Plain Street (now Hampton Street) in downtown Columbia is pictured here in 1896.

Columbia College’s first president was Reverend Whitefoord Smith, who served in that position from 1859 until 1860.