Lombard College
Lombard College was a college located in Galesburg, Illinois.
History[edit]
Lombard College was founded in 1853 by the Universalist Church as the Illinois Liberal Institute. In 1855, however, a major fire damaged much of the college, placing its future at risk, but a large gift from Benjamin Lombard, an Illinois farmer and businessman, rescued the institution, rechristened as Lombard University. The official name of the school was changed to Lombard College in 1899.
Lombard was coeducational from its founding, reflecting the Universalist philosophy. The institution was the seat of the Ryder School of Divinity from sometime in the 1880s until 1913.
The Great Depression proved to be too much for Lombard; the last class was graduated in 1930. While Lombard did not merge, some of its students transferred to nearby Knox College, and its alumni activities take place at Knox.
The Sigma Nu fraternity house is still standing at Lombard. It is a large yellow brick house and was completed a year or two before Lombard College closed.
Carl Sandburg attended Lombard, but did not graduate.
