Willoughby in Lake County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Willoughby University of Lake Erie Medical College 1834-1847
Willoughby Female Seminary 1847-1856
Side A: The Willoughby University of Lake Erie, Medical College, 1834-1847
The village of Chagrin, founded in 1798, changed its name in 1834 to honor Dr. Westel Willoughby, a pioneer medical educator. That same year, the Willoughby University of Lake Erie was chartered, and the Willoughby Medical College opened its doors, signaling the beginning of medical education in northern Ohio. The Medical College trained 160 doctors, educated in contemporary methods of medicine, anatomy, chemistry, and surgery. Financial struggles and public outcry against grave-robbing -- which supplied cadavers for anatomy classes -- hampered the college's development. The movement of faculty to Cleveland and the transfer of the state charter to Columbus hastened the demise of the Medical College in 1847, and laid the foundation for the establishment of the medical schools of Case Western and Ohio State universities.
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Side B: Willoughby Female Seminary, 1847-1856
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The Willoughby University of Lake Erie also pioneered higher education for women in Ohio. The Willoughby Female Seminary, patterned after Mount Holyoke in Massachusetts, offered a three-year course in mathematics, music, art, ancient and modern languages, and philosophy. The Female Seminary opened in 1847 at the vacated medical building and proved far more popular than its predecessor, enrolling 100 students its first year. The women's college prospered until a fire destroyed its imposing three-story brick building in 1856. Painesville citizens were more successful than those of Willoughby in raising funds for rebuilding the school, and opened the Lake Erie Female Seminary, now known as Lake Erie College, in 1859.
Erected 1999 by Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The Longaberger Company, City of Willoughby, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 8-43.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Science & Medicine • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1798.
Location. 41° 38.319′ N, 81° 24.44′ W. Marker is in Willoughby, Ohio, in Lake County. Marker is on Euclid Avenue (U.S. 20) near Sharpe Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Marker is in Wes Point Park (the public square). Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Willoughby OH 44094, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Four Institutions of Learning (within shouting distance of this marker); Willoughby Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Willoughby Civil War Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); A. Y. Austin Post 74, G.A.R. Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Cora Gaines Carrel (about 600 feet away); Airborne Memorial Bridge (approx. ¼ mile away); Kirtland Temple (approx. 2½ miles away); Mormon Community (approx. 2.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Willoughby.
Also see . . .
1. Centennials and Timeline of Medical Education in Central Ohio. Ohio State University Libraries website entry (Submitted on April 16, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. Willoughby, Ohio. Ohio History central website entry (Submitted on June 25, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
3. Jared Kirtland. Ohio History Central website entry (Submitted on June 25, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on April 16, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 25, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,221 times since then and 72 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 25, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.