Irving College: A pioneer in women's education
Economic and social progress in the mid-nineteenth century brought increasing opportunities for women to seek paid employment outside the home. One reflection of this progressive trend was the establishment of Irving Female College in 1856, through the generosity of Solomon Gorgas, a wealthy landowner and businessman in Mechanicsburg. Irving College was the first institution for female higher education in the state -- and only the 15th in the entire nation. It took its name from the noted American writer Washington Irving, who served on the board of trustees from its founding until his death in 1859.
■ Adapted from Psalms 144, the motto of Irving College embodied both academic excellence and Victorian gentility: "That our daughters may be as cornerstones, polished after the similitude of a palace." To that end, students could pursue regular degrees in the arts and sciences, a "mistress in English literature" degree, or two-year certificate programs in piano, home economics or "secretaryship." Around the turn of the century, some 100 students -- both resident and day -- were typically enrolled; faculty numbered about 20 (many presumably part-time). The presence of the college brought a level of social and cultural activity that a mid-sized town like Mechanicsburg would otherwise not have enjoyed.
■ The original building, Irving Hall (shown above), housed both classrooms and dormitories. The construction of Columbian Hall in 1892 (shown below, to the right of Irving Hall) added an auditorium and more dormitory space. Around 1900, several annexes were built, incorporating art and science classrooms, music practice rooms, and a dining room. The privately-owned college closed in 1929, unable to meet evolving state standards for higher education. The president's spacious home on campus, known as "Argyle," became the original Seidle Hospital in 1937; it was demolished in 1991 to allow for the expansion of more modern hospital facilities. Seidle Hospital, in turn, was closed and the property sold to a health care firm in 2008.
■ Adapted from Psalms 144, the motto of Irving College embodied both academic excellence and Victorian gentility: "That our daughters may be as cornerstones, polished after the similitude of a palace." To that end, students could pursue regular degrees in the arts and sciences, a "mistress in English literature" degree, or two-year certificate programs in piano, home economics or "secretaryship." Around the turn of the century, some 100 students -- both resident and day -- were typically enrolled; faculty numbered about 20 (many presumably part-time). The presence of the college brought a level of social and cultural activity that a mid-sized town like Mechanicsburg would otherwise not have enjoyed.
■ The original building, Irving Hall (shown above), housed both classrooms and dormitories. The construction of Columbian Hall in 1892 (shown below, to the right of Irving Hall) added an auditorium and more dormitory space. Around 1900, several annexes were built, incorporating art and science classrooms, music practice rooms, and a dining room. The privately-owned college closed in 1929, unable to meet evolving state standards for higher education. The president's spacious home on campus, known as "Argyle," became the original Seidle Hospital in 1937; it was demolished in 1991 to allow for the expansion of more modern hospital facilities. Seidle Hospital, in turn, was closed and the property sold to a health care firm in 2008.
Charm and celebrity during the Civil War
During the Civil War, recalled town chronicler Robert Brunhouse, local men going off to join the army "did not think their farewells complete unless they went to the college grounds to give three cheers for Irving's fair ones." The war came back to Irving College in a memorable way on December 2, 1861. Traveling by train from Carlisle to Harrisburg was Robert Anderson, the former commander of the besieged Fort Sumter, by then promoted to the rank of brigadier general. When his train stopped at Mechanicsburg station, a group of Irving students, accompanied by their professor, were invited on board to meet him. The train proceeded east and stopped adjacent to the Irving College green, where the girls disembarked and the college president staged an impromptu greeting ceremony for the Union hero. According to a newspaper account, "His train moved off again, amid the waving of handkerchiefs, the general standing on the platform until they were out of sight."