The College of Emporia was a private college in Emporia, Kansas, from 1882 to 1974, and was associated with the Presbyterian church.[1]
When founded, it was one of two higher education institutions in the city of Emporia, the other at that time was the "Kansas State Normal School" established for teacher training and was later renamed Kansas State Teachers College (KSTC) and reorganized in the mid-to-late 1970s as a state liberal arts college with the name changed to Emporia State University. Since Emporia had two colleges before 1900, the city was sometimes called the "Athens of Kansas."
History
The College of Emporia was founded in 1882. In March 1909, the "Lewis Academy", a Presbyterian school in Wichita, consolidated with the College of Emporia.
Colonel John Byers Anderson of Manhattan, Kansas, donated his personal library to the college in 1888, and he served as president of the board of trustees of the college. Twelve years later, a Carnegie grant provided the funds for the college to build the Anderson Memorial Library, in memory of John B. Anderson, whom Carnegie had known when younger and who later served on the board of trustees of the College of Emporia.[2] The library was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 25, 1987.[3][4]
The Registrar's office at Emporia State University is the official custodian of the transcripts for the former College of Emporia.[5]
The college campus was purchased by The Way International for $694,000[6] and was operated as The Way College of Emporia from 1975 until 1989.
Athletics
Presbie Pete, the mascot for the College of Emporia[7]
Football was established in the late 1890s and existed until the college closed its doors in 1974. The team known as the red and white "Fighting Presbies" had a proud tradition—over 70 years of football the college won 14 conference football championships, including an undefeated, untied, and unscored on season in 1928.
