William & Vashti College

William & Vashti College was a college in Aledo, Illinois from 1908 to 1918.

The school was founded by William Drury, a long time resident of Mercer County, and was named by him in his will as William and Vashti college to commemorate the memory of himself and his wife, Vashti Drury. By the will of Mr. Drury the school was to be located in that city or town of Mercer County which would offer the largest bonus for its location. The city of Aledo, having offered more than any other locality in the county, secured the school. The purpose of Mr. Drury was to found a non-denominational school where the student could not only secure a complete classical or scientific education, but where he could also secure such practical instruction as would fit him for some particular employment. A campus of about 16 acres was acquired and the main college building, a boys' dormitory, a gymnasium, a heating plant and residence for the president were erected.

The campus and buildings were purchased and used by the Roosevelt Military Academy from 1924 to 1973. The Administration Building was torn down and the spot was used for a nursing home. The remaining two RMA buildings, Niles Hall and North Hall, are unused.

William & Vashti was a member of Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 3/19/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.