Pritchett Institute School
Glasgow, Missouri
1866-1921
E-Travel
The most complete history of Pritchett College is that of T. Berry Smith, an 1873 graduate of the school. It appeared in the April 1932 issue of Missouri Historical Review. Newspaper coverage came from the Glasgow Missourian--source of the ad (right)--and other area papers.
History
Pritchett Institute School was founded by the Reverend James O. Swinney as a Christian but non-denominational school, open to both male and female students. Classes began in September, 1866 under the direction of President Carr W. Pritchett. First year attendance was “nearly 150 students.” Since Rev. Swinney’s $10,000 initial gift was supported by others in the town, Pritchett Institute opened with a $30,000 endowment
Initially the curriculum embraced four divisions—primary, intermediate, preparatory, and high school/ college. While early graduates earned a high school diploma, by 1874 examinations embraced a “full college course,” and the school awarded Bachelor of Arts degrees. In addition to standard liberal arts programs, Pritchett Institute offered normal and law courses of study. Then in 1887 a practical bookkeeping program was started. In 1890 Pritchett sponsored an August normal institute for area teachers. In 1897 the school changed its name to Pritchett College, reflecting the actual programs offered and degrees awarded.
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1898 Pritchett graduate Josephine Hemenway Kendall, one of the first female graduates of Johns Hopkins, became a leading pediatrician and author. 1919 image from Woman's Medical Journal.
In 1875 Berenice Morrison gave the school $100,000 to construct an observatory. $50,000 of this money went into the school’s general endowment fund. President Pritchett resigned to become professor of mathematics and director of the Morrison Observatory. In 1878 he is credited with the rediscovery of the Great Red Spot of Jupiter.
Speech activities became the focus of extracurricular activities. Pritchett offered two literary societies—Zetosophian for men and Philalethian for women. In addition to drama, Pritchett had teams in the Intercollegiate Oratorical Contest. But Commencement week became the showcase for elocutionary activity. On one night the top six male graduates competed for the Harrison Prize, awarded for the best declamation. On another night the top six female students competed for the Shackleford Prize awarded for best recitation.
Enrollment, which had remained steady at more than 100 students, began to fall in the twentieth century. By 1917 Pritchett dropped its upper-level programs to continue as a junior college. But by 1922, with enrollment down to eight, Pritchett College closed its doors. The Morrison Observatory was moved to Central College.
Bricks and Mortar
Classes opened in the old Glasgow Female Seminary building. But by 1869 Reverend Swinney found a seven-acre property on the east side of Glaggow and had a “commodious, well appointed ornamental brick building” constructed. The three-story structure contained sixteen rooms, including a chapel for 200 students and a geological museum holding 6,000 specimens. The chapel served as venue for all school activities, including commencements. Campus buildings also included a brick home for the president and, after 1875 the Morrison Observatory.
In 1875 President Orren Root promised that a gymnasium would be built “during the summer.” In 1903 a fund raiser occurred for that purpose. By the closing of the school in 1922, this had never been realized.
After the college closed, campus buildings sat empty until they were raised in 1927 to make way for a new public high school.
Pritchett Institude building. Image from Historic American Building Survey.
Sports
School colors: Red and Yellow
Newspapers first noted sports activity at Pritchett Institute in 1875, when a team of students defeated a team from neighboring Salisbury Academy 26-8 in a baseball game. Through the years, the schools, 30 miles apart, became natural rivals in all sports. This became important because Pritchard College listed as one of its advantages that it had “no foot-ball or base-ball team. . . that travels over the country and loses time from school." This philosophy also made a rival of Central College at Fayette, only twelve miles away.
At a time when high school and college teams included faculty, as well as alumni, and even town people, the Pritchett Institute schedule included several local high schools.—including Slater and Armstrong--in addition to Salisbury Academy and Central College.
While baseball remained the signature sport, Pritchett attempted to play football in 1894, resulting in overwhelming defeats. Ten years later, football returned with some better results. Pritchett College began playing basketball outdoors in 1906, fielding both male and female teams against the usual opponents.
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