Jessamine Female Institute
| Type | Private women's |
|---|---|
| Active | 1855–1910 |
| Location | , United States |
| Campus | 3 acres (1.2 ha) |
Jessamine Female Institute was an American finishing school and college for women founded in Nicholasville, Kentucky. It opened in 1855 and closed in 1910.
History
[edit]On May 20, 1854, the community of Nicholasville, Kentucky held a public meeting where it adopted a resolution in support of establishing a school for females.[1] Later that year, the Legislature of Kentucky authorized a company to start a school in Nicholasville.[2] When the school opened in 1855, M. Branch Price became its principal.[2] Price was a Presbyterian minister and the majority of the school's founders were also Presbyterians.[2][1] After Price died, Mrs. Jacob Price became the school's principal; she was married to a Presbyterian minister.[2] Rev. Mr. Frazee replaced her in 1857, followed by Mrs. Browning.[2]
Rev. Joseph McDowell Matthews of Hillsboro, Ohio rented the school property in 1860.[2] He reincorporated the school as the Jessamine Female College.[2] However, Matthews returned to Ohio after the end of the 1862 term.[2] J. E. Spilman, pastor of the Nicholasville Presbyterian Church, operated the school for several years starting in 1863.[3]
The Legislature of Kentucky granted a new charter for the non-sectarian Jessamine Female Institute in February 1866.[3][1] Its incorporators were J.S. Bronaugh, George Brown, T. P. Crutcher, Joseph P. Letcher, and Robert Young.[3] M. C. McCrohan replaced Rev. William Price was the institute's principal in 1867.[1] McCrohan adding facilities for boarding students.[1]
George G. Butler was the institute's principal in 1871.[4] He was followed by professor Charles E. Young in 1873.[5] In 1875, Rev. J. B. Thorpe became the institute's principal.[6][1] From 1878 to 1881, the school was badly managed and its attendance decline.[1] The institute closed in the spring of 1881 because of a lack of students.[3][1]
Miss M. F. Hewitt was hired to reorganize the school and became its principal in September 1881; she managed it for the next twelve years.[3][1] When the number of students increased under Hewitt's leadership, the institute's board of trustees voted to spend $20,000 on a new building in 1881.[3] Residents of Nicholasville and the surrounding Jessamine County paid for the building by subscription.[3][1] In September 1885, the institute had the largest number of students in history, including more than fifty boarders.[7] The new building opened in September 1888.[1]
Hewitt retired when her health declined and was replaced as principal by Mrs. B. W. (Nannie) Vineyard in 1893.[3][8] When Vineyard left the institute to teach at Georgetown College, Mrs. J. B. Skinner became the school's principal in September 1901.[8] She was the widow of the former president of Hamilton College and also taught history at Hamilton.[8] Skinner resigned and was replaced by professor H. H. Savage on September 1, 1905.[9]
In 1906 the school had between 100 and 200 students; thirty of whom were boarding students.[10][8] On October 27, 1906, a fire damaged the institute's main building, including the girl's dormitory building.[10] The fire gutted its library and reception hall.[10] Damages were estimated to be $5,000 ($169,556 in today's money).[10] Classes resumed several days later.[10]
In the years that followed, the institute had declining finances.[11] The institute fell behind by $5,600 on its mortgage.[12] On April 4, 1910, the institute lost a foreclosure case in the circuit court.[12]
In March 1911, it was announced that G. P. Simmons, an associate principal at Campbell–Hagerman College, had purchased the Jessamine Female Institute property to start a new school.[13] However, his efforts to form a company failed.[11] On May 27, 1911, the Jessamine Female Institute's property was divided into lots and was sold at auction.[14][11]
Campus
[edit]The campus of Jessamine Female Seminary was located on three acres on a hill west of Nicholasville, Kentucky.[1] A new building was added in 1888.[1] Soon afterward, improvements were made to the institute's library, laboratories, and classrooms.[1]
Academics
[edit]When the school opened in 1855, its curriculum included art, English, Greek, Latin, mathematics, modern languages, and music.[1]
Student life
[edit]Jessamine Female Institute had a chapter of Chi Omega social sorority from 1898 to 1902.[15] The school also had a literary society.[16]
In addition, the institute had a basketball team that competed against teams from other women's colleges.[17]
Notable alumnae
[edit]- Lena Madesin Phillips, lawyer who founded the National Business and Professional Women's Clubs
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Lewis, Alfred Fayette (1899). History of Higher Education in Kentucky. U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 252–253 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Young, Bennett H. and Duncan, S. M. A History of Jessamine County, Kentucky, From Its Earliest Settlement to 1898. Louisville: Courier-Journal Job Printing Co., 1898. p. 176. via Hathi Trust.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Young, Bennett H. and Duncan, S. M. A History of Jessamine County, Kentucky, From Its Earliest Settlement to 1898. Louisville: Courier-Journal Job Printing Co., 1898. p. 177. via Hathi Trust.
- ^ "Jessamine Female Institute, Nicholasville, KY. (Advertisement)". Kentucky Advocate. Danville, Kentucky. 1871-07-14. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-01-19 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Prof. Charles E. Young". The Central Presbyterian. Richmond, Virginia. 1875-08-25. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-01-19 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "From Points Around". The Cincinnati Daily Star. 1875-08-19. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-01-19 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "A Favorable Opening". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. 1885-09-11. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-01-19 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Mrs. Skinner Was Selected". The Lexington Herald. Lexington, Kentucky. 1901-05-01. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-01-19 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mrs. Skinner Resigns". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. 1905-02-15. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-01-19 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Heavy Damage to Jessamine Female Institute Caused by Fore Noon Fire". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. 1906-10-27. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-01-19 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "No More". The Richmond Climax. Richmond, Kentucky. 1911-06-07. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-01-19 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Jessamine Institute Mortgage for $5,000 is Foreclosed and the School May Have to Go". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. 1910-04-04. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-01-19 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Prof. G. P. Simmons Moves to Jessamine". The Lexington Herald. Lexington, Kentucky. 1911-03-13. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-01-19 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Public Auction Jessamine Female Institute". The Lexington Herald. Lexington, Kentucky. 1911-05-21. p. 10. Retrieved 2024-01-19 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Lurding, Carroll and Becque, Fran. (August 5, 2023) "Closed Institutions". Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities. Urbana: University of Illinois. Accessed December 21, 2023.
- ^ "Jessamine". Kentucky Advocate. Danville, Kentucky. 1886-06-04. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-01-19 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "State College". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. 1904-02-25. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-01-19 – via Newspapers.com.