Bethel College was a Baptist-affiliated college in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

founded in 1854 and closed in 1964. Throughout most of its history, the Hopkinsville campus was a

women's college Women's colleges in higher education are undergraduate, bachelor's degree-granting institutions, often liberal arts colleges, whose student populations are composed exclusively or almost exclusively of women. Some women's colleges admit male stud ...

while the Russellville campus was a

men's college In higher education, a men's college is an undergraduate, bachelor's degree-granting institution whose students are exclusively men. Many are liberal arts colleges. Around the world In North America United States In the United States, co-educ ...

History

The institution opened as Bethel Female High School in Hopkinsville, while the Russellville campus opened as Russellville Male Academy. The Hopkinsville campus changed its name to Bethel College for Women four years later in 1858, taking in students continuing with the program. The college changed its name again in 1917; the Russelville campus became Bethel College, and the Hopkinsville campus Bethel Women's Jr. College. In 1951, the college became co-educational and changed its name to simply Bethel College. It closed in 1964, with the Hopkinsville campus razed in 1966. The last commencement for the Russellville campus was held on January 20, 1933. A number of historical events have interacted with the college. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, the

Russellville Convention The Confederate government of Kentucky was a shadow government established for the Commonwealth of Kentucky by a self-constituted group of Confederate sympathizers during the American Civil War. The shadow government never replaced the elect ...

, a meeting to set up a

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

government of Kentucky in 1861, met at Bethel Female College on its third day. The Hopkinsville campus was used as a hospital during a black measles epidemic from 1861 to 1862. Later, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the Hopkinsville campus was closed from 1942 to 1945 and the rooms rented to

Camp Campbell Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astride the Kentucky–Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee (post address is located in Kentucky). Fort Campbell is home to the 101st Airborne Divi ...

army officers.

Notable alumni

* Ben M. Bogard, clergyman, founder of the

American Baptist Association The American Baptist Association (ABA) is an Independent Baptist Christian denomination in United States. The headquarters is in Texarkana, Texas. The principal founder was Ben M. Bogard, a pastor of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Little ...

, based primarily in

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

References

* http://library.blog.wku.edu/2011/04/13/baptist-begat-both-bethels * * http://www.westernkyhistory.org/christian/bethel.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20100615045632/http://www2.westminster-mo.edu/wc_users/homepages/staff/brownr/KentuckyCC.htm
* * Independent Baptist universities and colleges in the United States Defunct private universities and colleges in Kentucky Former women's universities and colleges in the United States Baptist Christianity in Kentucky Buildings and structures in Logan County, Kentucky History of women in Kentucky Education in Logan County, Kentucky Educational institutions established in 1854 Educational institutions disestablished in 1964 1854 establishments in Kentucky 1964 disestablishments in Kentucky Education in Christian County, Kentucky Buildings and structures in Christian County, Kentucky Hopkinsville, Kentucky Russellville, Kentucky {{Kentucky-university-stub