Ward Belmont College

WARD-BELMONT COLLEGE

1913-1951

In 1913, Belmont College (est. 1890) and Ward’s Seminary (est. 1865) merged to form Ward-Belmont College, a women’s junior college, preparatory school, and music conservatory on Adelicia Acklen’s Belle Monte estate.  It was the first junior college in the South to receive accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.  It graduated some of America’s most prominent women, including Sarah Cannon, better known as “Minnie Pearl;” Clare Booth Luce, founder of Vogue Magazine; and Lila Acheson Wallace, who with her husband founded Reader’s Digest.  With this rich heritage, Belmont University continues in the educational lineage of Ward-Belmont College.

Submitted by

Bryan Arnold

@nanowhiskers