Weaubleau Christian Institute was founded in 1873 in Hickory County, Missouri, under the auspices of the Weaubleau Congregational Christian Church.[1] The congregation of the church was made up of families living on newly settled farms, who chose a central location on which to erect a 2-story building large enough to accommodate a church on the first floor and an academy or secondary school on the second.[1][2] A small town, first called Haran, but later renamed Weaubleau for the stream upon which it is located, grew up around the Church and Institute.[2][3]
The institute was incorporated under a board of trustees, the majority of whom were to be perpetually drawn from among the members of the church.[1] The student body never exceeded 15) at any point in the schools' first 35 years.[1] One of the college's Presidents, John Whitaker, called it a "frontier college," and wrote that many of the student taught terms in frontier schools to earn their tuition fees.[1]
The Institute gained accreditation as a college around 1893, eventually granting three degrees: Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Accounts, and master's degree.[2][4]
The college closed in 1914.[2] Some papers related to the college and the Church are held by the State Historical Society of Missouri.[4]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e Whitaker, John (2 September 1909). "The Value of College Work on the Frontier". The Herald of Gospel Liberty.
- ^ a b c d Harryman, Eugene. "Weaubleau Congregational Christian Church". Weaubleau Congregational Christian Church. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- ^ Eaton, David Wolfe (1916). How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named. The State Historical Society of Missouri. p. 173.
- ^ a b Keeney, Doug. "Weableau Christian College" (PDF). State Historical Society of Missouri. Retrieved 1 December 2015.