Elizabethtown College

Founded in 1899, Elizabethtown College is one of many higher learning institutions founded in the 19th century by churches or church members interested in the educational advancement of their denominational membership. The college was founded by interested members of the Church of the Brethren in response to an initiative by the Reverend Jacob G. Francis. Francis advocated for Elizabethtown because of the proximity to the railways. First classes for the new college were held on November 13, 1900, in the Heisey Building in downtown Elizabethtown. During its first two decades, the college operated as an academy, offering a limited curriculum centering on four-year teaching degrees and high school type classes.[citation needed]