Liberty Ladies’ College and
American-Mozart Conservatory
Liberty, Missouri
1890-1913
Travel and E-Travel
In my first visit to Liberty in 1957, I doubt that I cleared the qualifying height in a track meet at William Jewell College. “Liberty Ladies College: History of a Modern Educational Experience” by Alyssa Emery is a good short history of the school. Midcontinent Public Library, Ancestry.com and Family Search all have one or more copies of Liberty, the College yearbook. The Liberty Tribune was the local newspaper that covered school events.
History
Liberty Female Institute was founded as an answer to the lack of higher education opportunities for women in the West. Founders pointed out that from “a broad area of 20,000,000 square miles with a population of nearly 20,000,000,” “hundreds of our noble girls” had to travel to the East or Europe for a college education. The school was placed in Liberty, MO, a town of 2,500 located 14 miles from Kansas City. In 1894 the school became Liberty Female College, and in 1898 American-Mozart Conservatory was added to provide European-trained teachers of music and the arts. In 1898 President Charles Williams changed the school’s name to Liberty Ladies’ College.
Liberty Female College offered a four-year preparatory program to prepare students for college work, along with a four-year collegiate program leading to Bachelor of Letters, Bachelor of Arts, and Bachelor of Science degrees. The American-Mozart Conservatory offered two-year programs in piano, violin, vocal, chorus, harmony and song, history of music, art, expression, and physical culture, leading to diplomas. In 1896 the school added a business program leading to diplomas in bookkeeping, typing, and shorthand. Report of Public Schools of Missouri lists enrollment as 146 in 1898. The school served both day students from Liberty and boarding students. The 1911 Liberty shows an enrollment of 124—89 of which came from Missouri, with the rest coming from nine states plus Mexico.
Not surprisingly, much of the extracurricular activity at L.L.C. concerned music, with concerts and recitals leading to the Grand Concert during commencement week. The top piano students competed each year for a piano worth $1,000. The two competing literary societies--Cleophas and Alethian—each had a night at commencement to show dramatic, elocutionary, and musical skills. Outings for cultural events in Kansas City were prominent social events. The 1911 Liberty shows two social sororities as well as a chapter of the Y.W.C.A.
L.L.C. advertised itself as “an essential ally of William Jewell College,” a Baptist institution nearby. But L.L.C. was a private school, owned by its presidents. So the fire of February 1913, which destroyed the building, ended the history of the school.
Liberty Ladies' College students in their "absence of color" winter uniform of black gown and Oxford cap, with white blouse. Image from Liberty.
Bricks and Mortar
Founders of the school purchased eleven acres on Prospect Heights in Liberty, across from William Jewell College. There in 1892 they laid the cornerstone for a three-story building of red pressed bricks over a stone basement. Measuring 150 feet, with a dept of 110 feet, it contained 140 rooms, allowing space for more than 120 boarders. In addition to classrooms, it featured an observation tower, a chapel, parlors, art and music rooms, a kitchen and dining room and a gymnasium.
After the 1913 fire, it was not rebuilt. According to Facebook Heritage Middle School occupies the site today.
Flickr image of students in front of Liberty Ladies' College.
A 1903 basketball team. Image from Liberty. Note the goal without a backboard and the panels and seams on the ball.
Sports
Liberty Ladies College was strong on physical culture. The campus had room for tennis and croquet grounds. The gymnasium was “especially well equipped.” Liberty notes, the daily physical culture class provided “exercises to promote health, symmetry, grace, and poise.” 0utdoor exercises included track work, marching, and running. “From students of the class basket-ball teams, tennis tournaments, and other field games are organized."
In 1905 newspapers note that “fine playing” was taking place on the tennis grounds. In February they note that “basketball teams have been reorganized.” The 1905 Liberty shows basketball teams pictures on an outdoor court without backboards.
Newspapers show no evidence of any basketball or tennis matches involving another school. So I am left to assume that any competitive sports were intramural.
Note: Images are used in accordance with their “terms of use,” as I understand those terms. Recopying or reproducing may be restricted or forbidden.