Wheaton: A History
Institutions, like people, are shaped by the experiences, individuals, people and events that fill their past. The forces that sparked the founding of Wheaton College began 175 years ago, with a father’s wish to memorialize his recently deceased and much-loved daughter. In addition to erecting a granite obelisk, Judge Laban Wheaton, at the urging of his daughter-in-law, Eliza Baylies Chapin Wheaton, decided to create a living monument. The Wheaton Female Seminary opened its doors on April 22, 1835, with 3 teachers and 50 pupils.
From its founding, Wheaton Seminary was a pioneering institution, offering young women the means to pursue serious study at a time when women’s educational options were few. In planning their school, the Wheaton family turned to one of the recognized leaders of the day in female education: Mary Lyon. Miss Lyon created the seminary’s first curriculum with the goal that it be equal in the “English branches”—science, philosophy, mathematics, rhetoric, history, composition, logic and religious studies—to the curricula of men’s schools.
Among those whose ideas and influence shaped the early Wheaton was Caroline Cutler Metcalf. Strong-willed, conscientious and creative, Mrs. Metcalf served as seminary principal from 1850 to 1876. Finding and retaining outstanding teachers was high on her list of priorities. Caroline Metcalf sought educators willing to put aside tradition and custom to employ the most effective teaching methods possible. Graduates paid tribute to Mrs. Metcalf’s many contributions to their lives and to the institution by creating the Wheaton Alumnae Association in 1870, in honor of Caroline Metcalf’s 20th year as seminary principal; the group also elected Mrs. Metcalf as its first president. One of the oldest such organizations in the country, the Wheaton Alumnae/i Association today numbers more than 14,000 members worldwide.