Athens State College - Columns Yearbook (Athens, AL)

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DEDICATION

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HISTORY OF ATHENS COLLEGE In 1822, five years after the incorporation of Athens, three years after the admission of Alabama into the Union, the citizens of Athens bought five acres of land, erected a building, and established the institution, Athens Female Academy. Twenty years later the people of Athens raised a ten thousand dollar endov ment and expanded the Academy into a four year college. In January 1843, the legislature of Alabama granted a charter in- corporating the Athens Female Institute of the Tennessee Annual Con- ference of the Methodist Church. The institution became co-educational in 1931, and subsequently the name was changed to Athens College. One of the oldest institutions in the South, Athens College has continued its program uninterruptedly through epidemics, depressions, and wars. Notably did the College continue its classes while Athens was under seige from the Federal troops during the Civil War. From the second floor windows of historic Founders Hall, the students were able to watch the Battle for Athens in progress. Though the town was under Union oc cupation, the College property sustained no damages and the student life continued unmo- lested. Athens College has had twenty presidents since its founding. Men and women of moral stature and wisdom have guided it from the be- ginning. As an institution of the church, she has sent missionaries into mission fields around the world. Many of her graduates are leaders in religion, education, and business.

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DEDICATION TO THE MEMORY OF THOMAS SIMMONS