Judson College (Alabama) facts for kids
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| Motto | Lux et Veritas |
|---|---|
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Motto in English
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Light and Truth |
| Type | Private women's college |
| Active | 1838–2021 |
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Religious affiliation
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Baptist (Alabama Baptist Convention) |
| President | Daphne Rudicell Robinson |
| Location |
,
,
United States
32°37′50″N 87°18′57″W / 32.63063°N 87.31587°W |
| Campus | Rural, 118 acres (48 ha) |
| Website | |
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Judson College Historic District
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Jewett Hall, within the Judson College Historic District
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| Location | Roughly bounded by East Lafayette, Curb, Mason and Washington Streets |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Classical Revival, Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 92001825 |
| Added to NRHP | February 3, 1993 |
Judson College was a private college just for women in Marion, Alabama. It was started in 1838 and stopped teaching classes on July 31, 2021.
Contents
A Look Back: Judson College's Story
Judson College was founded in 1838 by members of Siloam Baptist Church. This made it the fifth-oldest college for women in the United States. The college was named after Ann Hasseltine Judson. She was the first American woman missionary to go to Burma.
A businesswoman named Julia Tarrant Barron and General Edwin Davis King helped start the college. They got help from Dr. Milo Parker Jewett. He wanted to create a school for young women. His goal was to give them the same great education that young men received at famous universities like Harvard and Yale. Dr. Jewett became Judson's first president. He later became president of Vassar College. Judson College was always connected to the Alabama Baptist Convention. This group also helped fund the college.
Jewett Hall: A Building with a History
The main building on campus was called Jewett Hall. The first Jewett Hall was built in 1840. It was a four-story building with a Greek revival style. It was named after Milo P. Jewett. Sadly, this building was destroyed by fire in 1888.
Rebuilding Jewett Hall started in the same year. But in 1947, lightning struck the dome. This caused another fire that burned the building down. People immediately began to rebuild it again. They even raised money by selling bricks from the burned building. A third small fire happened in the attic once, but it was put out quickly.
Other Important Buildings
Other important buildings on campus included A. Howard Bean Hall. This used to be a Carnegie library. Now, it holds the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame. It also has two classrooms. There was also the Alumnae Auditorium and the Women's Missionary Union residence hall.
College Programs and Closing
In 2019, about 268 students attended Judson College. The college offered bachelor's degrees in liberal arts and other programs.
In 2020, the college faced big money problems. Fewer students were enrolling, and the COVID-19 pandemic made things worse. The college president asked for donations to keep the school open. Even though they raised money, student numbers kept dropping.
In May 2021, the college's leaders decided to close the school. They began a process to deal with their debts. The college closed its dorms after the spring semester. All classes stopped after the summer term ended on July 31, 2021.
In 2022, the school's old records and history items were moved. They went to Samford University. This is another college that was also founded in Marion.
Life at Judson College
Judson College students often had social events with Marion Military Institute. This other school is also in Marion. Many of these traditions were very old. They dated back to the time of the Civil War.
Famous People Who Went to Judson
Many talented people studied at Judson College. Here are a few:
- Titilayo Adedokun (1973-), a singer and beauty queen
- Gwen Bristow (1903-1980), an author
- Caroline Dormon (1888–1971), a botanist and author
- Margaret Lea Houston (1819–1867), the First Lady of Texas
- Billie Young (1947-2021), an actress, activist, poet, and educator
- Evelyn Daniel Anderson (1926–1998), an educator and helper for people with physical disabilities
- Mary Ward Brown (1917–2013), a short story writer
- Janie Shores (1932–2017), the first woman judge on the Supreme Court of Alabama
Other Colleges Named Judson
- Judson University in Illinois is named after Ann Judson's husband, Adoniram Judson.
