Columbia College

In 1854, founders of the South Carolina Methodist Conference established an all-female school in Columbia, South Carolina. Known originally as Columbia Female College, today’s Columbia College has suffered and survived hardships, faced challenges, and flourished during its almost 150-year history as an institution of higher learning. The college has succeeded in its mission to provide quality liberal arts education for women and has become one of the leading establishments of its kind in the South. Included within these pages are vintage images of the school throughout the past century and a half. The ever-changing physical attributes of the college—classrooms, administration buildings, ornate gates, and dormitories—as well as the students and faculty who helped shape the college into what it is today are commemorated here in both word and image. From the trials of campus fires and the closing of the school during the Civil War to the triumphs of American artist Georgia O’Keeffe’s tenure and the receipt of honors such as the prestigious Hesbergh award, Columbia College has emerged as a well-respected school for women.