Friday, November 15, 2013

Hillsdale College: Co-Education for Women by @LaurieAEakes

Hillsdale College: Co-Education for Women by @LaurieAEakes

All my life, I’ve heard of Hillsdale College in a Michigan town of the same name, but until Patty Smith Hall (The Doctor’s Bride, Love Inspired Heartsong Presents, November 5, 2013) suggested a few of us write a series set in 1856 around a double train wreck in Hillsdale, I didn’t know Hillsdale College was the second college in the U.S. to admit female students to study alongside the men.

In 1844, Michigan Central College began in Spring Arbor, Michigan. Nine years later, it had metamorphosed into Hillsdale College centered in that small town

From its inception, Hillsdale College allowed women to receive four-year degrees, the second school to do so. It is the first college to state in its charter that it prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, or sex. It upheld this belief by acting in the thick of the abolition of slavery.

Allowing women to study alongside men doesn’t mean the college didn’t believe that females should be looked after. Many rules of conduct governed the behavior of the students. For example, men and women were not allowed to partake of tobacco, wine, or other strong drink, nor were they allowed to frequent places that served these items. Men and women were not allowed to be alone together and then only during the hours of 3:00 to 7:00 except in May and June, when they could be together until 8:00 P.M.

Numerous other regulations governed academic behavior such as absenteeism, taking tests, and receiving extra instruction. Students were encouraged to join literary societies, and when those met were also directed.

Behavior both academic and social were overseen by the president of the college or a female faculty member called the Lady Principal.

Although Hillsdale was started by the Free Baptist Church, it was always nondenominational. Written in a Bible buried in the cornerstone of the original building is this prayer: “May earth be better and heaven be richer because of the life and labor of Hillsdale College.”


The Professor’s Heart (Love Inspired Heartsong Presents) by Laurie Alice Eakes features a professor at the college and a female graduate whose ambition destroyed their relationship in the past. Now, a train wreck on a snowy night gives them a second chance to choose between love and career and discover what the Lord wants for their lives. This is Eakes’s sixteenth book and releases on December 3, 2013.

9 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing this history of Hillsdale College. Just this morning, I read a post by Patty Smith Hall in which she told a bit about the double train wreck in Hillsdale. I am eager to read THE PROFESSOR'S HEART and THE DOCTOR'S BRIDE! I would love to know the names of the other books in this series!

    texaggs2000 at gmail dot com

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  2. Enjoyed the post about the college, seems women always seem to be on the short end of the stick, they were not very important it seems for many years. I know men worked hard in the early years but I am betting the little woman who kept his house and bore his children did too...I am glad this college decided to include women at that early yr.
    thanks for sharing this info with us.

    Paula O(kyflo130@yahoo.com)

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  3. The story sounds great. Women have come a long way
    God bless you
    Chris Granville

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  4. Sorry I forgot
    Chris Granville
    granvilleATfrontiernetDOTnet

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  5. Ive never heard of Hillsdale College. That is really neat that they were :the second college in the US to admit women. I love the rules they had to go by, they remind me of church camp and what we were allowed and not allowed to do! Thanks for a great post Laurie, I can't wait to read this series of books!
    kam110476 (at) gmail (dot) com

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  6. Thank you so much for this wonderful information about Hillsdale College. I live in Michigan, and know of individuals who attended Hillsdale, but didn't' realize the history behind this school. Sometimes we miss the stories from our own neighborhoods. Very nicely done! I will be looking for this book.
    quiltcat26[at]sbcglobal[dot]net

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  7. Wow, that is an interesting post about Hillsdale College and the education of girls along with the boys. What forward thinkers they were for their time. I would love to win this book. sharon, ca wileygreen1(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  8. Lauire, I enjoyed reading about the history of Hillsdale College, and am currently enrolled in their online American Heritage course. Can't wait to read your new novel. Bless you as you write for His glory.

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