Kalamazoo Co brief history page 8

GENEALOGY & LOCAL HISTORY

COUNTY HISTORY PAGE 8

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Kalamazoo High School 1910

**Links To** **Topic Headings** **On This Page**
Higher Education	Nazareth College
Western Michigan University	Parson's Business College
Kalamazoo College	Kalamazoo Becomes A City
Michigan Female Seminary	Kalamazoo Mall

**HIGHER EDUCATION**
In addition to Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo County has Kalamazoo Valley Community College, and Davenport College. Nazareth College, a Catholic school, closed in the early 1990s. In addition, Kalamazoo was home to the Michigan Female Seminary and Parson's Business College.

WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

Western State Normal School, May 27,1903

Western State Teachers College, May 12, 1927

Western Michigan College of Education, May 20, 1941

Western Michigan College, June 2, 1955

Western Michigan University, Feb. 26, 1957

The most important events in the progress of Kalamazoo occurred when a new institution of higher education, now known as Western Michigan UniversityWestern Michigan University, was founded in 1903 as memorialized in the following historical marker::

Established by legislative act in 1903 as western state normal school, the first classes were held in 1904. the first permanent building completed in 1905, over-looked the city from prospect hill. by the 1920's western had become one of America's leading teachers' colleges. starting in 1934 general degree work was offered. an expansion on the west campus began in 1944. increasing enrollment and the addition of the new departments and courses during the 1940's and 1950's made western a multi-purpose institution and led to its designation as a university of the legislature in 1957Established by legislative act in 1903 as western state normal school, the first classes were held in 1904. the first permanent building completed in 1905, over-looked the city from prospect hill. by the 1920's western had become one of America's leading teachers' colleges. starting in 1934 general degree work was offered. an expansion on the west campus began in 1944. increasing enrollment and the addition of the new departments and courses during the 1940's and 1950's made western a multi-purpose institution and led to its designation as a university of the legislature in 1957

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"This is one of the State's teacher training colleges, but is also a general letters and science college training for general education and professional work."

WMU 1905
East Hall, 1908
East Hall, 1915
East Hall with tram, 1931
WMU campus aerial view, 1945
Western Michigan College Oakland Drive entrance, 1950's

Western's many names that reflect its growth from a teacher training school to a major university:

McCracken Hall, 1960's
Spindler Hall, 1960's

Western Michigan University, along with the state hospital have provided steady employment for large numbers of county residents.

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**Kalamazoo College**
**Kalamazoo College** **- website link**
Early View of Kalamazoo College at its original Westnedge Avenue locatioN	Kalmazoo College 1905	Treadway Gymnasium on Academy Street, 1913
Treadway Gymnasium on Academy Street, 1940's	Bowen Hall, 1920	Bowen Hall, rear view
	Stetson Chapel, 2000
Kalamazoo College Orginal Historical Marker The first classroom building for the Michigan And Huron Institute,now Kalamazoo COLLEGE, was erected on this site between June and September of 1836. The charter bill for the school had been introduced in the Michigan Territorial Legislative Council on January 18, 1833, and signed into law by Governor George B. Porter on April 22, 1833. Village pledges supplied funds for the two-story frame classroom structure, which was the start of Michigan's first church-related college		Kalamazoo College Historical Marker This school, Baptist in origin, was chartered in 1833 by the Territory of Michigan as the Michigan and Huron Institute and held its first classes in 1836. Instruction of college level has been given here longer than at any other Michigan school. In 1845 the present campus was purchased. The right to confer degrees was granted in 1855. This pioneer school has won national renown as a liberal arts college with special honor in teaching of the sciences.

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MICHIGAN FEMALE SEMINARY

An early Kalamazoo institution of higher
education was the Michigan Female Seminary
that was incorporated in 1855, but closed in 1907

**A Bronze Marker Near St. Mary's Catholic Church That Was Built Partly With Materials From The Closed Michigan Seminary:**
INCORPORATED 1855 CHARTER 1856 MICHIGAN FEMALE SEMINARY ESTABLISHED BY MICHIGAN PRESBYTERIAN SYNOD. MODELED AFTER MOUNT HOLYOKE SEMINARY, MASSACHUSETTS SITUATED BACK ON THE HILLS AROUND THE NATIVE OAKS, CORNERSTONE LAID IN 1857. THE BUILDINGS WERE COMPLETED AT THE CLOSE OF THE CIVIL WAR, DOORS WERE OPENED TO HIGHER EDUCATION FOR TRAINING OF YOUNG WOMEN, MENTALLY, MORALLY, PHYSICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY TO OCCUPY PLACES OF USEFULNESS, DIPLOMA ACCEPTED FOR ADVANCED STANDING BY THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AND OTHER COLLEGES. PREPARATORY DEPARTMENT WAS OPENED IN 1895, THIS SCHOOL THAT HAS STOOD FOR CULTURE AND EDUCATION IN THIS COMMUNITY AND THROUGHOUT THIS STATE FOR FIFTY YEARS CLOSED ITS DOORS IN 1907. BUT ITS SPIRIT LIVES ON ETERNALLY. PLACED BY ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION, JUNE 27, 1929.

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**NAZARETH COLLEGE**
A Catholic women's college, Nazareth College, was founded in 1871 and closed July 1992.
Nazareth College	Aerial overall view of campus - 1970s ?	Albers Hall, activities building, Immaculata Hall, student residence - 1970s ?

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**Parsons Business College**
A vocational school important to many men and women in Kalamazoo during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century
Parsons Business College 1894

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KALAMAZOO BECOMES A CITY

In 1884 the Village of Kalamazoo finally became a city with a population of 16,000.

Also see: the Chronology of Township, Village and City Formation page

An 1883 panoramic view of the
Village of Kalamazoo

In 1929 Kalamazoo celebrated its centennial with a parade, pageant, and many speeches - see the Centennial Program Pages

1929 Centennial Parade

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**KALAMAZOO MALL**
In 1959 the City of Kalamazoo embarked on an innovative scheme to save its central shopping district, a pedestrian mall that involved tearing up three blocks of Burdick Street and gained the title "Mall City" - See the KALAMAZOO MALL PAGE

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**Site Links**
1846 County History	History Page 7
1876 County History	History Page 8
1980 Tornado	Indians in Kalamazoo - Early Letters
Chronology of Township, Village and City Formation	Kalamazoo Mall
Centennial History and Pageant Program	Kalamazoo Theater Views
Historical Markers	Kalamzoo Views
History Page 1	Obituaries from the Pioneer Society Reports
History Page 2	Railroads, Interubans, and Transit History
History Page 3	Reminiscences of Kalamazoo, 1832 -1833 by Jesse Turner
History Page 4	Schoolcraft History
History Page 5	Vicksburg History Site
History Page 6

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