User:Awsmith77/Blackstone Female Institute

Blackstone College for Girls

File:Image of school today Above, the former administration building of Blackstone College for Girls. The facility now serves as the Virginia United Methodist Assembly Center.
Former names	Blackstone Female Institute
Type	Two-year school for young women
Active	February 15, 1892–1950
Affiliation	Methodist Episcopal Church, South
Location	Blackstone , Virginia , USA

Blackstone College for Girls (originally Blackstone Female Institute) was a private religious school for girls that operated under the auspices of the Virginia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Southbetween 1894 and 1950. The school buildings still stand in the town of Blackstonein Nottoway County. The significance of the site is acknowledged by a historical marker. Blackstone College is also designated as a site on the Virginia's Retreat's Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail. Since 1955, the Virginia Methodist Church has used the former school buildings as a conference center.

History

[[Image:oldBlackstoneCollege|thumb|left|

It closed permanently in 1950, after surviving a devastating fire in 1920 and a temporary suspension of classes during WWII.

Academics

Curriculum

At the school's inception, its students completed five years of study, the equivalent of the eighth grade plus the four years of high school. In addition to standard academic courses, the curriculum included 3 years of Bible studies,

Faculty and Administrators

[[File: bishop james cannon. jpg Image:|thumb|left|

James Cannon, Jr., pastor and later Bishop of the Farmville Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was the school's first principal. Cannon was later named the first president of the school.

George P. Adams, a merchant from Blackstone, was a staff member at the school from its founding through its final semester. Adams oversaw the school's buildings and grounds and also served as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Board of Managers. The George P. Adams Memorial Scholarship Trust was established in his honor.

Students and Alumnae

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The first year the school operated, twenty-nine boarders and forty-two day students enrolled. Television and stage actress Bea Arthur was a notable alumna of Blackstone College for Girls. She attended the school from __ to ___, during which time she performed in dramatic productions.