10/01/2025
Judson College, which was founded by Alabama Baptists in 1838, was granted an incorporation charter from the Alabama State Legislature on January 9, 1841. Its first commencement was held that July. Located in Marion (Perry County), Judson was the nation's fifth oldest women's college. The college ceased operations in May 2021. Judson Collegiate Institute was established to educate women in the "finer" facets of womanhood, which included proficiency in needlework, dancing, drawing, and penmanship, but also to promote their mastery of theology, literature, and fine arts. Although other academies for young women were already in existence, even in Marion, Judson's curriculum was designed to offer more rigorous academic standards than others of its day. Milo Parker Jewett, a Baptist theologian and recognized leader in women's education from Vermont, served as its first principal. After almost 15 years in that role, Jewett resigned in 1855, and moved to Poughkeepsie, New York, where he later founded Vassar College. By the time he left Judson, its curriculum stressed English, math, foreign languages, history, and the fine arts. The college closed after more than 180 of operations due to increasing indebtedness and declining enrollment. Image shows a Mortar and Pestle Club photograph from a Judson College yearbook. (Photograph courtesy of Elizabeth Crabtree Wells) Click here to read the EOA article: https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/judson-college/
