Dorsey College

Founding and early history Tree-lined entrance in the historic part of the Lindenwood University campus Lindenwood University traces its roots back to George Champlin Sibley , an early 19th-century American explorer, soldier, Indian agent , and politician, and his wife Mary Easton Sibley, an educator. In 1808, Acting Governor and friend Frederick Bates promoted Sibley to the position of chief factor at Fort Osage in western Missouri, near present-day Kansas City, Missouri . [ 8 ] While at Fort Osage, Sibley immediately set to work creating relationships with the neighboring Osage tribes . [ 9 ] He also met Mary Easton , the daughter of Rufus Easton , a prominent St. Louis attorney and Missouri's second Attorney General. The couple were married in 1815. [ 10 ] [ 11 ] During the Sibleys' time at Fort Osage, Mary began teaching the children at the fort. [ 11 ] [ 12 ] In 1813, Sibley opened a temporary trading post at Fort Sibley, now known as the town of Arrow Rock, Missouri , which remained in operation until 1822. After the trading post shut down, George and Mary remained at Fort Osage, with George serving as postmaster until the fort closed in 1825. [ 10 ] The couple then settled in St. Charles, where Mary began teaching family members and later, in 1832, other young women from the community. [ 11 ] [ 13 ] Lindenwood University is now considered the second-oldest higher-education institution west of the Mississippi River, after Saint Louis University , as well as the first women's college west of the Mississippi. [ 14 ] In 1829, the Sibleys purchased 280 acres (113.3 ha) of land, known as the "Linden Wood" because of the numerous linden trees . The Sibleys borrowed money and began clearing the overgrown property to convert it into a farm with livestock brought from Fort Osage. They completed construction of a cabin and outhouses and moved into Linden Wood in December 1829. As the work on Linden Wood continued, the idea of opening a boarding school evolved.

[ 11 ] [ 13 ] Mary Sibley took in students within a year of moving into the cabin. Her 12-year-old sister, Alby, became the first student at Linden Wood in the fall of 1830. A year later, the first two paying students arrived; in early 1832, the Sibleys made plans to expand the cabin to create a boarding school for women to over a dozen students [ 11 ] During the 1830s, the school was known as The Boarding School for Young Ladies at Linden Wood, Missouri. [ 11 ] Mary took charge of the boarding school and developed a strict curriculum that included literature, grammar, writing, spelling, and diction. French, music and piano, landscape painting, flower painting and needle work were available for an additional fee. The school was one of the first to require physical education , which included walking and dancing. [ 11 ] [ 15 ] Sibley Hall, as it appeared in 1912 By the 1840s, the boarding school had grown to 30 students. As the enrollment expanded, the Sibleys added new rooms to the cabin. The continued improvements created a financial strain on the school and Mary Sibley traveled to the East Coast to solicit additional funding. [ 11 ] In the early 1850s, the school was on the brink of closing when the Sibleys offered the property to the Presbyterian Church . [ 11 ] In 1853, the school was incorporated by special act of the Missouri Legislature and became known as the Lindenwood College for Women. The newly chartered college was placed under the control of 15 directors appointed by the Presbytery of St. Louis. On July 4, 1856, the cornerstone was laid for a new permanent brick building to replace the original log cabins. The new building, Sibley Hall, was completed in July 1857, and at the time contained the entire school. This event marked the beginning of a new era of significant growth for Lindenwood. [ 16 ] George Sibley died in 1863.

Following his death, the college charter was amended in 1870 to provide that the appointment of directors for the management of the college would be under the control of the Synod of Missouri instead of the Presbytery of St. Louis. [ 13 ] A south wing was added to Sibley Hall in 1881 and a north wing in 1886. [ 13 ] The school began expanding in the early 20th century with four new buildings constructed between 1900 and 1920. [ 13 ] In 1913, the school was accredited as a junior college by the North Central Association . Lindenwood received a $4 million bequest in 1918, the entire estate of the late Margaret Leggat Butler, wife of Colonel James Gay Butler, a Civil War veteran and philanthropist. [ 17 ] The college used the funds to establish a permanent endowment and moved from a two-year to a four-year curriculum. [ 13 ] A few years later, the college became a full member of the North Central Association. [ 13 ] The college became a co-educational institution in 1969 and changed its name from Lindenwood College for Women to Lindenwood Colleges, with a separate college for men and women. [ 13 ] [ 18 ] In 1970, the college started offering evening classes and in 1976 began awarding master's degrees. [ 13 ] That same year, the St. Louis Football Cardinals of the NFL constructed a football field for practices. In 1980, the college became a member of the NAIA for athletics. [ 13 ] Lindenwood Colleges, Lindenwood College for Men and Lindenwood College for Women were merged into Lindenwood College in 1983. It was known as Lindenwood College until 1997, at which time the school changed its name to the current name of Lindenwood University. [ 13 ]

By 1989, Lindenwood College was bankrupt with student enrollment below 800. The college was in danger of closing when the administration hired Dennis Spellmann as the new president. [ 19 ] Spellmann immediately began to implement changes, eliminating co-ed dorms, placing the emphasis on a "values-centered" approach in the classroom, and eliminating tenure. [ 20 ] The university began an extensive expansion of academic, residential, and athletic facilities starting in the mid-1990s which included construction of eight new residence halls, the Spellmann Campus Center, Lou Brock Sports Complex , and Harlen C. Hunter Stadium , as well as extensions to Ayres Hall and Harmon Hall. [ 21 ] A change that caused controversy for the school was the "Pork for Tuition" program [ 19 ] begun in 2002 and designed to help rural families pay for tuition by the university accepting livestock in return for discounts. The animals were then processed and used in the school cafeteria. [ 22 ] At the time, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals staged a small protest in Saint Charles in response to the program. [ 19 ] [ 22 ] The Spellmann administration's focus on enrollment growth made Lindenwood the fastest-growing university in the Midwest during the time from the mid-1990s into the early 2000s. [ 14 ] [ 23 ] [ 24 ] [ 25 ] In 2006, Dennis Spellmann died [ 18 ] by which time the university had seen its endowment grow to more than $50 million. James Evans became Lindenwood's 21st president on February 9, 2007. [ 26 ] [ 27 ]