Bradford College was a college in the part of Haverhill,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, that was once the town of

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

. Founded in 1803, Bradford College began as Bradford Academy, one of New England's earliest coeducational institutions. In 1836 Bradford chose to devote itself exclusively to the education of women. By 1932, the school had grown from a secondary school and became Bradford Junior College. In 1971 Bradford was authorized to grant bachelor's degrees. The new Bradford College began admitting men again that same year. Bradford College focused on the creative arts and social sciences with one of the oldest alum associations in the country. On November 19, 1999, its board of trustees announced that the 197-year-old liberal arts institution would close in May 2000. The campus currently is the home of

Northpoint Bible College Northpoint Bible College and Seminary is a private Pentecostal Bible college and seminary in Haverhill, Massachusetts. The college's sole purpose is to teach and train students for Pentecostal ministry for the spread of the Christian gospel. It ...

History

Bradford College traces its origins to Bradford Academy, which was founded in 1803, making it the 3rd oldest post-secondary institution in Massachusetts behind

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

before becoming defunct in 2000. The academy was incorporated in 1804. Many of Bradford's early graduates became Christian missionaries. The first president of Bradford was Katharine Denworth, a graduate of Swarthmore with a doctorate from Columbia. Her tenure from 1927 to 1939 oversaw the transformation of Bradford in 1932 into a liberal arts junior college for women leading to a bachelor's degree. With degrees in classics from Oberlin and

Smith Smith may refer to: People * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland ** List of people wi ...

, scholar Dorothy M. Bell became president in 1940. Over the ensuing 27 years, Bell led Bradford Junior College through World War II and to national and international prestige as a two-year liberal arts private women's college, retiring in 1967. The college became coeducational, and the name changed to Bradford College in 1971. During the 1990s, annual budget shortfalls of more than $1 million, combined with declining enrollment and revenues and resulting losses due to competition from larger regional institutions, sealed the school's fate. In 1997, the school incurred an $18 million debt when it refinanced old debt and sought funds to build new dormitories. After 197 years, Bradford College was closed in 2000, leaving substantial debt. In late 2007, the remaining endowment of $3.6 million was awarded to

Hampshire College Hampshire College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1970 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges ...

, an alternative

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual capac ...

Amherst, Massachusetts Amherst () is a New England town, town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,263, making it the highest populated municipality in Hampshire County (althoug ...

.http://www.hampshire.edu/newsletter/200712/index.html#Anchor_CAMPUS With the closing, 33 full-time professors and 133 employees, were left without jobs.

Property sold

According to the

Assemblies of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...

denomination, an affiliate of

Hobby Lobby Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., formerly Hobby Lobby Creative Centers, is an American retail company. It owns a chain of arts and crafts stores with a volume of over $5 billion in 2018. The chain has 969 stores in 47 US states. Hobby Lobby is owned by ...

stores (founder:

David Green David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

) purchased the former Bradford College campus in 2007. Renovation needed to be done before a new school opened on the campus. An estimated $5 million worth of repairs and upgrades were needed before the shuttered campus reopened for the fall semester of 2008. Green and his affiliates covered the cost of repairs. The , multimillion-dollar campus, was then given to Zion Bible College, the Assemblies of God Bible school previously located at the former campus of the

Barrington College Barrington College was a four-year Christian liberal arts college located in Barrington, Rhode Island. It is no longer in operation. History Barrington College was founded by E. W. Kenyon, pastor of the New Covenant Baptist Church, in 1900 ...

Barrington, Rhode Island Barrington is a suburban, residential town in Bristol County, Rhode Island located approximately southeast of Providence. It was founded by Congregationalist separatists from Swansea, Massachusetts and incorporated in 1717. Barrington was ceded ...

Notable alumni

* George H. Atkinson, missionary in

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

Sarah Charlesworth Sarah Edwards Charlesworth (March 29, 1947 – June 25, 2013) was an American conceptual artist and photographer. She is considered part of The Pictures Generation, a loose-knit group of artists working in New York in the late 1970s and early 1 ...

, artist *

Alice Blanchard Coleman Alice Blanchard Coleman (, Merriam; pen name, Mrs. George W. Coleman; May 7, 1858 – October 22, 1936) was an American missionary society A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith ...

, missionary society leader and writer *

Andre Dubus III Andre Dubus III (born September 11, 1959) is an American novelist and short story writer. He is a member of the faculty at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Early life and education Born in Oceanside, California, to Patricia (née Lowe) a ...

, author, son of Bradford faculty

Andre Dubus Andre Jules Dubus II (August 11, 1936 – February 24, 1999) was an American short story writer and essayist. Biography Early life and education Andre Jules Dubus II was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, the youngest child of Katherine (Burke) ...

; attended briefly *

Esther Forbes Esther Louise Forbes (; June 28, 1891 – August 12, 1967) was an American novelist, historian and children's writer who received the Pulitzer Prize and the Newbery Medal. She was the first woman elected to membership in the American Antiqu ...

, author of ''

Johnny Tremain ''Johnny Tremain'' is a work of historical fiction written in 1943 by Esther Forbes that is set in Boston prior to and during the outbreak of the American Revolution. Intended for teen-aged readers, the novel's themes include apprenticeship, co ...

'' and other works *

Ann Hasseltine Judson Ann Hasseltine Judson (December 22, 1789 – October 24, 1826) was one of the first female American foreign missionaries. Biography Ann attended the Bradford Academy and during a revival there read ''Strictures on the Modern System of Female ...

, 19th-century Christian missionary to Asia *

John Taylor Jones John Taylor Jones (July 16, 1802 – September 13, 1851) was an American missionary, and one of the earliest Protestant missionary to Siam (now Thailand) with his wife, Eliza Grew Jones. He is credited with introducing to Siam the modern worl ...

, early missionary to Thailand * Nayef Samhat, president of

Wofford College Wofford College is a private liberal arts college in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was founded in 1854. The campus is a national arboretum and one of the few four-year institutions in the southeastern United States founded before the America ...

Lucy Goodale Thurston Lucy Goodale Thurston (October 29, 1795October 13, 1876) was a Protestant missionary and author. She was the wife of Asa Thurston and was one of the first American Christian missionaries to Hawaii. She is noted for her letters documenting her li ...

, 19th-century Christian Hawaiian missionary * Portia Washington Pittman, daughter of

Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...

& the institution's first African-American graduate

Notable faculty

Douglas Huebler Douglas Huebler (October 27, 1924 – July 12, 1997) was an American conceptual artist. Life and career Douglas Huebler grew up in rural Michigan during the Depression and served in the Marines in World War II. After the war, funded by the ...

, artist *

, writer *

Marion Coats Graves Marion Coats Graves (August 2, 1885 - November 19, 1962) was an American educator known for her work in creating two-year junior colleges for women. She helped establish and was the first president of Sarah Lawrence College. Biography Marion Coat ...

Notes and references

External links

Bradford College Alumni Association
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Haverhill, Massachusetts Educational institutions established in 1804 Educational institutions disestablished in 2000 Defunct private universities and colleges in Massachusetts Former women's universities and colleges in the United States 1804 establishments in Massachusetts 2000 disestablishments in Massachusetts