Florence Synodical Female College

For the last half of the 19^th Century, the Florence Synodical Female College was one of the leading seminaries in the South. Situated in a town whose people are noted for culture, refinement and hospitality it was destined for success.

Founded in 1855, by the Presbyterian Synod of Nashville, the college sent out hundreds of cultivated Christian women to “refine and adorn the land” and regarded woman not as a mere ornament to society, but as an equal factor with man in the life and progress of the age.

The campus (which sat on the site of the current Florence Post Office) consisted of two substantial brick buildings (a dormitory and an academic building) that took up the entire city block. The campus offered easy access to downtown stores and churches.

Financial troubles and competition from the state supported co-female University, which opened in 1891, forced closure of the Florence Synodical Female College in 1893. In 1895 the land and buildings were sold off to satisfy their financial obligations. The dormitory building was demolished in 1911 clearing the way for the federal building (Florence Post Office). The academic building remained and was was occupied by several businesses and the Elks Club until it was torn down in 1972.