Gale College (also Galesville University and Marynook) was a private college in

Galesville, Wisconsin Galesville is a city in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,662 at the 2020 census. It is located where Beaver Creek flows into a wide area of the Mississippi River valley. The creek is impounded to form Lake Marinu ...

. It was founded by

George Gale George Gale may refer to: Politicians *George Gale (MP) (1490–1556), member of parliament for City of York *George Gale (congressman) (1756–1815), American politician Law *George Alexander Gale (1906–1997), Canadian jurist * George Gale (Wi ...

, opening in 1854 and closing in 1939. Several religious denominations used the facilities as a college and later as a training school.

History

Judge George Gale went to college at the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

and moved to the western frontier in

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...

, in the early 1850s. After finding little interest in starting a college in La Crosse, he bought to start Galesville at a choice spot for his planned university. The state of Wisconsin chartered the school in 1854 as Galesville University and Gale held the first classes in the county courthouse in Galesville. The first class had 16 students including Gale's son, George Gale Jr. Old Main was completed in 1862 and the campus was occupied in 1863. Gale ran the nonsectarian college until 1865 and the school floundered when his health deteriorated during his involvement in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. In 1865, the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

took over the school and held classes until 1871. The

Presbyterians Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

took over until 1901 and changed the name to Gale College in the 1890s. The

Synod of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America The Synod of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, commonly called the Norwegian Synod, was founded in 1853. It included churches in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. History In February 1853, several Lutheran ministers in ...

purchased the college in 1901. In 1915, they built a new dormitory and gymnasium. They constructed a new heating plant in 1921. The Lutherans suspended the school for the 1938-39 school year because of too small enrollment and closed it permanently in June 1939. The Society of Mary, Province of St. Louis purchased the buildings and of land in 1941 for $10,000. Its buildings included two dormitories, the main building, and a heating plant. The Catholic

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

used the buildings to train novitiate

brothers A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...

and

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

s. They named the school Marynook and operated the novitiate until it became a retreat in 1973. The retreat operated until June 1994, at which time the city of Galesville purchased it for $150,000. The city granted a 50-year lease in 2000 to the Garden of Eden Preservation Society.

Founder's Day

Throughout the school's varied history, it held a "Founders Day" celebration on June 4. A wreath was usually placed at Gale's tomb and the grounds were typically open to the public. The day celebrated Gale's founding of the school, his platting of Galesville, and his work to develop

Trempealeau County Trempealeau County (, ) is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,760. Its county seat is Whitehall. Many people of Hispanic, Polish, Norwegian and German descent live in this area. History Patche ...

Historic Place

Several buildings on the campus were listed as a historic district with the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on February 14, 1997.

Current use

The Old Main building is being restored by the Old Main Historical & Community Arts Center. The group rents out the building for events and holds fundraisers. Volunteers are compiling the history of the area, building a digital database, and collecting local genealogy information. Another building is being used as a

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

Notable alumni

Marcellus Dorwin Marcellus Dorwin was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Dorwin was born on February 14, 1861, in Durand (town), Wisconsin. His father, Vivus Wright Dorwin, was also a member of the Assembly. The younger Dorwin attended what would ...

, politician *

John Hamman Brother John Charles Hamman S.M. (September 3, 1927 – December 5, 2000) was a close-up magician and Marianist Brother. The tricks he invented are still an integral part of many close-up magician's repertoire. Hamman was world-renowned in the magic ...

Marianist The Society of Mary ( la, Societas Mariae) abbreviated SM is a clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men (brothers and priests) commonly called the Marianists or Marianist Brothers and Priests. Its members add the nominal l ...

Brother, magician *

Charles N. Herreid Charles Nelson Herreid (October 20, 1857 – July 6, 1928) was the fourth Governor of South Dakota. Biography Charles Herreid was born in Dane County, Wisconsin. His parents, Nels Olson Herreid (1832–1902) and Thone Kittelson Herreid (1833� ...

, politician * David L. Holcomb, politician *

Merlin Hull Merlin Gray Hull (December 18, 1870 – May 17, 1953) was a lawyer, a newspaper publisher, and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin. Born in Farina, Illinois to John and Adelia Hull, Merlin Hull was a graduate of ...

, politician *

John Ballard Rendall John Ballard Rendall (April 5, 1847 – September 3, 1924) was an American Presbyterian minister, educator, and politician. He served as a professor of Latin at the historically black Lincoln University of Pennsylvania from 1872 to 1906, pres ...

, educator and politician * Arnt O. Rhea, politician and educator *

Elmore Y. Sarles Elmore Yocum Sarles (January 15, 1859 – February 14, 1929) was an American politician who was the ninth Governor of North Dakota from 1905 to 1907. Biography Born in Wonewoc, Wisconsin, Sarles was educated in the public schools in Prescott, Wi ...

, Governor of North Dakota *

Hobart Stocking Hobart M. Stocking (April 28, 1846 – August 6, 1920) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Stocking was born in Canton, New York on April 28, 1846. He attended what was then Galesville University. During the American Civil W ...

, politician *

Albert Twesme Albert Theodore Twesme (August 7, 1879June 27, 1949) was an American lawyer, jurist, and Republican politician from Trempealeau County, Wisconsin. He represented Trempealeau County in the Wisconsin State Assembly during the 1909 session and lat ...

, politician and jurist

Gallery

References

External links

Old Main Historical & Community Arts Center
{{Authority control Defunct private universities and colleges in Wisconsin Buildings and structures in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin Educational institutions disestablished in 1939 Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin Educational institutions established in 1854 1854 establishments in Wisconsin 1939 disestablishments in Wisconsin Lutheran universities and colleges in the United States

History

Founder's Day

Historic Place

Current use

Notable alumni

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links