Ceased operations 1944 | ||
![]() | ||
Notable alumni Charles Edward Merriam, John Campbell Merriam, Frank Merriam, David Stanton Tappan Similar Leander Clark College, Midwestern College, Vennard College, Parsons College, Westmar University |
Lenox College was a college in Hopkinton, Iowa that operated from 1859 until its closure in 1944. The institution was initially known as Bowen Collegiate Institute. The name was changed to Lenox Collegiate Institute in October 1864 and to Lenox College in 1884.
Contents
History
The school was affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. Several buildings that were part of the former college campus are on the National Register of Historic Places and are maintained by the Delaware County Historical Society as the Delaware County Historical Museum Complex. The college campus and the community of Hopkinton are also designated as stops on the Delaware Crossing Iowa Scenic Byways. The former building of the Hopkinton Reformed Presbyterian Church is located next to the campus, although it was not a part of the college's sponsoring church.
The centerpiece of the campus is the Civil War Monument, dedicated 17 November 1865. The monument at the center of the campus was the first monument on a campus dedicated to the American Civil War. The majority of the young men of the college with the dean of the college as their captain signed on for military service shortly after the war began, causing the school to close temporarily. The monument is dedicated to them.
Construction of Old Main began in 1856. The Victorian style east wing was added in 1875. Clarke Hall, the dormitory for girls, was built in 1890. Doolittle Hall, constructed in 1900, contained the Library and Literary Societies. Finkbonner Hall (the gymnasium) was erected in 1916.
Other buildings in the complex include the Hopkinton Depot, which was moved to the present site in 1969. The Reformed Presbyterian Church, with its remarkable Bavarian stained-glass windows, was dedicated in 1901 and donated to the Society in 1969. The one-room school was purchased and moved to its present location - next to the church - in 1971. A Farm Machinery Hall, which houses displays of horse-drawn farm equipment, was added in 1973. A second Farm Machinery Hall was built in 1982.