Pleasant J. Potter College

History

"Potter College for Young Ladies" was established in 1889 and chartered May 12, 1890 as "The Pleasant J. Potter College." The school was named for Pleasant J. Potter (March 29, 1820 - July 1, 1915), who donated the balance of funding required to complete the college building.

The college offered both preparatory and degree programs and enrolled women primarily from Kentucky and neighboring southern states. The building was a one hundred-room structure with reception rooms, recitation and dormitory rooms, and a dining room, and was located where Cherry Hall now stands on the campus of Western Kentucky University.

Reverend Benjamin Francis Cabell (June 6, 1850 - September 19, 1909), previously president of Cedar Bluff College in Woodburn, Kentucky, served as Potter College's president from 1889 until 1909, when he closed the school and sold its campus to the Western Kentucky State Normal School.

To learn more about Potter College, check out the online exhibit.

Collection

Yearbooks entitled the Golden Rod (1898) and the Talisman (1907, 1908) document student organizations and activities. The Green and the Gold literary magazine, published tri-annually from December 1902 through May 1909, includes histories, biographies, poetry, alumnae notes, and organizational news. Eight catalogs provide course information, school regulations, and lists of students and alumnae. Other items include programs, alumnae addresses, commencement invitations, diplomas and a few photographs.

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Volume

1 cubic foot