Appleton in Outagamie County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Merging of Milwaukee-Downer and Lawrence Colleges
Photographed by Paul Fehrenbach, September 16, 2014
1. The Merging of Milwaukee-Downer and Lawrence Colleges Marker
south side of two sided marker.
Lawrence University, chartered on January 15, 1847, was the first college in Wisconsin founded as a coeducational institution. Preparatory classes began in 1849; college classes began in 1853. The first collegiate class of seven students four men and three women graduated in 1857.
Milwaukee College was founded as a womens college in 1851 under the guidance of Catharine Beecher. The Wisconsin Female College, later renamed Downer College for Judge Jason Downer, was founded at Fox Lake in 1854. These two colleges merged in Milwaukee in 1895 to form Milwaukee-Downer College.
The MilwaukeeDowner campus was purchased by the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee in 1964, and Milwaukee-Downer College consolidated with Lawrence College, as it was then known. Milwaukee-Downer and Lawrence colleges thus combined to form todays Lawrence University.
Erected 2014 by Wisconsin Historical Society. (Marker Number 554.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Education. In addition, it is included in the Wisconsin Historical Society series list. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1926.
Location. 44° 15.698′ N, 88° 23.752′ W. Marker is in Appleton, Wisconsin
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Wisconsin’s Fox River Valley. It is also in the American Midwest, on the Great Lakes, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Lawrence University (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Vulcan Street Plant Replica (approx. Ό mile away); First Edison Hydroelectric System in America (approx. Ό mile away); 9-11 Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); First Commercially Successful Electric Street Railway (approx. 0.6 miles away); Number 736 (approx. 0.8 miles away); Henry James and Cremora Rogers Residence (approx. 1.1 miles away); Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Bridge (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Appleton.
Other markers no longer nearby. World's First Hydroelectric Central Station (was approx. Ό mile away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Hearthstone (was approx. 1.1 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. To better understand the relationship, study each marker in the order shown.
Also see . . . Lawrence University History. University website
Photographed by Paul Fehrenbach, September 16, 2014
2. The Merging of Milwaukee-Downer and Lawrence Colleges Marker
North side (street side) of two sided marker.
Photographed by Paul Fehrenbach, September 16, 2014
3. The Merging of Milwaukee-Downer and Lawrence Colleges Marker
Hurvis Center administration building in background.
Photographed by Paul Fehrenbach, September 16, 2014
4. The Merging of Milwaukee-Downer and Lawrence Colleges Marker
Looking east along College Avenue.
Photographed by Paul Fehrenbach, September 16, 2014
5. The Merging of Milwaukee-Downer and Lawrence Colleges Marker
Looking west along College Avenue.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 13, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 18, 2014, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,082 times since then and 68 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 18, 2014, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. • William J. Toman was the editor who published this page.
