Memories of Shurtleff College that Closed 60 Years Ago: 1st College in Illinois

The Telegraph of Alton, IL published an article this week commemorating the closure of Shurtleff College, "Shurtleff College, opened in 1827, closed 60 years ago."  The author, Tom Emery, provides an interesting historical sketch.  The institution evolved from Rock Spring Academy or Rock Springs Seminary in Rock Springs, IL which closed in 1831 and moved to Alton. It was initially known as Alton Seminary or Alton College before the name changed to Shurtleff College in 1836. Classes were suspended after 1956, though institution didn't officially close for several years permitting several students to complete degree requirements. The campus was taken over by Southern Illinois University and for use as an offsite center until SIU-Edwardsville opened in 1972. Part of the Shurleff campus site is now used by SIU Dental School.

Shurtleff College is considered by some to be the first college in Illinois and the first founded between the Alleghenies and the Mississippi River.  The Internet Archive offers The Pioneer School: A History of Shurtleff College, the Oldest Educational Institution in the West written by Austen Kennedy De Blois in several formats.

You can also read a brief sketch on Shurleff College on the America's Lost Colleges web site.