Grand River College was organized and opened to the public in 1850. It was located at Edinburg, Missouri, in Grundy County. It was named Grand River College Association, and was under the direction of the Baptists of Grundy and adjoining counties. After it had operated a few years, the name was changed to Grand River College.

Grand River College originally was located at Edinburgh, in Grundy County, MO (west of Trenton). The growth of Gallatin, boosted by the services of two railroads, prompted college officials to relocate the educational institution to Gallatin. (date of sketch unknown)

The college remained at Edinburg until 1892 when the trustees deemed it necessary to enlarge it and move it to Gallatin. A contract was made between the college and Gallatin. Some of the provisions were:

  1. It was to belong to, and be under the control of six Baptist churches and their associations. The college would be open to students without reference to their religious belief.
  2. A site consisting of a few acres adjoining the City of Gallatin on the south was agreed on as a suitable location for the college.
  3. Before August 4, 1893, a college building had to be erected, to cost no less than $15,000 including building and furnishings.
  4. The college building was not to be removed from Edinburg to Gallatin.

The Gallatin citizens kept their promise and secured a small plot of land for the campus. They soon had a building with 21 spacious rooms including a chapel with a seating capacity for 400 people. The whole building was heated by steam, perfectly lighted, and ventilated.

Grand River College was a co-educational institution, and is said to be the first college in Missouri to admit women on equal terms with men. It opened to the public in 1850 at Edinburgh in Grundy County, MO, and was maintained there for 40 years. But because Edinburgh was an inland town, the trustees decided to remove to Gallatin and enlarge its facilities. Grand River College became Grand River Academy and served as a preparatory school for William Jewell College. In 1909 a $6,000 dormitory was erected but the Academy closed the following year in 1910. The school reopened in 1914 as a school for girls. During the fall of 1918 an attempt was made to make Grand River College an accredited military school for the Student Army Training Corps. Before the government acted upon a petition, the college burned down in 1918. It was located in south Gallatin. (Shultz Studio photo)

The college opened it’s first session at Gallatin, Oct. 3, 1893. During the first year, 106 students were enrolled, 60 others enrolled in the preparatory department, taught in the old college building at Edinburg.

The students were admitted into the various departments on a certificate of examination given by an examining committee. The college was to be a co-educational institution and it was said to have been the first college in the state to admit women on equal terms with men.

The school was divided into two semesters. The degrees offered were “Bachelor of Science,” “Bachelor of Arts,” and “Master of Arts.” Certificates of graduation were given in any department upon the completion of the studies in the area.

At first, the out of town students boarded with local families for $2.50 to $5 per week. Around 1900, an addition was added to the east end of the original building in which the president and his family lived and which housed the women students. A large central dining room occupied a part of the first floor, where a couple did the cooking, walking each day from their home in North Gallatin. Later, a men’s dormitory was built across the street west of the main building.

The tuition fee was $38 with added fees in the different departments. Unfortunately, sometime in the early 1900s the college was forced to close because of financial reason. A little later, William Jewell College assumed it, and it flourished for several years. About 1910, the college had the misfortune of having to close its doors. It was sold to an eastern educator who brought his family to Gallatin to live. The college was doing well until the building was destroyed by fire.

— researched by Wilbur Bush, Gallatin

A student publication published at Grand River College in Gallatin, MO, was the “Teacher and Student.” This fifth issue of the publication was dated July, 1898, and featured a history of the college.

Advertisements were featured in editions of the “Teacher and Student,” a publication for Grand River College at Gallatin, MO. This is page two of the fifth issue of the publication in its first year, 1898.

This diploma issued in June, 1900, credits William Glen Smith as a graduate of Grand River College of Gallatin, MO.

 

Scenes from the 1898 college catalog:
(click on image to enlarge)

 

This lists some of the curriculum offered at Grand River College of Gallatin, MO, in 1899.

This unusual view of the back of Grand River College is dated 1918. Grand River College was a co-educational institution, and is said to be the first college in Missouri to admit women on equal terms with men. It opened to the public in 1850 at Edinburgh in Grundy County, MO, and was maintained there for 40 years. But because Edinburgh was an inland town, the trustees decided to remove to Gallatin and enlarge its facilities. Grand River College became Grand River Academy and served as a preparatory school for William Jewell College. In 1909 a $6,000 dormitory was erected but the Academy closed the following year in 1910. The school reopened in 1914 as a school for girls. During the fall of 1918 an attempt was made to make Grand River College an accredited military school for the Student Army Training Corps. Before the government acted upon a petition, the college burned down in 1918. It was located in south Gallatin.

This postcard shows Grand River Academy, postmarked 1909. Grand River College became Grand River Academy and served as a preparatory school for William Jewell College when William Jewell College agreed to pay off the mortgage and provide an endowment for the institution. The school was directed at that time by Dr. Dow. In 1909 a $6,000 dormitory was erected but the Academy closed the following year in 1910.

A photograph taken while Grand River Academy offered educational opportunities in Gallatin, MO. (date unknown)

Grand River College 1909