Bowdon College, established as Bowdon Collegiate Institution in 1856, was a college in Bowdon, Georgia and Georgia's first co-educational institution. It joined the state university system and was renamed Bowden State Normal and Industrial College. After being removed from the state system in 1933, the college closed in 1936.
History
Bowdon Collegiate Institute was founded as a private institution in 1856 by Charles McDaniel and John Richardson. Starting in a two room log house in rural Bowdon, Georgia, the school was chartered the following year becoming Georgia's fifth chartered high-learning institution and first co-educational institution. With donated land, a new building was completed in 1859.
During the Civil War the school closed for a short time as most students and McDaniel joined the Confederate army. Of its 144 students, 128 and McDaniel died in the war. After the war in 1866, the George legislature passed a bill providing free tuition at institutions including Bowden for maimed or indigent former soldiers under 30.
In 1919, due to economic and financial issues, the state legislature passed a bill to place the school under University of Georgia's trustees and renamed it Bowden State Normal and Industrial College. The school remained part of the state system until 1933 when it was returned to private status as part of a consolidation effort during The Great Depression. It became a junior college but closed in 1936.
Notable faculty
- John William Abercrombie served as its president from 1890-1891.
References
- Harrell, Bob (1979-03-14). "Bowdon College's Colorful History Revived In Book". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 19. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
- ^ Bonner, James C. (2010-04-01). Georgia's Last Frontier: The Development of Caroll County. University of Georgia Press. pp. 54–56, 167–168. ISBN 978-0-8203-3525-4.
- "College Studies Its Family Tree". The Macon Telegraph. 1972-11-24. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
- Johnson, Rheta Grimsley (1998-07-27). "New school supplies mean a fresh start". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 22. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
- Conway, Alan (September 18, 1966). Reconstruction of Georgia. U of Minnesota Press. ISBN 9781452912653 – via Google Books.
- "Acts Passed by the General Assembly of Georgia". J. Johnston. September 18, 1919 – via Google Books.
- "Bowden Normal Bill Passes". The Macon Telegraph. 1919-07-24. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
- "Site of Bowdon College historical marker - Digital Library of Georgia". dlg.usg.edu. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
- Chandler, Julian Alvin Carroll; Riley, Franklin Lafayette; Ballagh, James Curtis; Henneman, John Bell; Mims, Edwin; Watson, Thomas Edward; Mitchell, Samuel Chiles; Fleming, Walter Lynwood; McSpadden, Joseph Walker (September 18, 1909). "The South in the Building of the Nation: Southern biography, ed. by W. L. Fleming". Southern historical publication society – via Google Books.
Further reading
- Wessinger, Mignon; Rowell, Judy Copeland (2006). Bowdon College: A Glorious History. University of West Georgia. ISBN 978-1-883199-16-6.
External links
- Media related to Bowdon College at Wikimedia Commons