Columbia College (Oregon)
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Active | 1856–1860 |
| Affiliation | Cumberland Presbyterian Church |
| Location | Eugene, Oregon, United States |
Columbia College was a college in Eugene in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 1856, the school was part of a system of churches established by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The school's building burned down twice before the school closed in 1860. Today, the neighborhood in Eugene where the school was located is known as College Hill due to the former college.
After the Cumberland Presbyterian Church split from the Presbyterian Church in 1810, the newer branch sought to found schools to educate ministers for future service in the church. As early as 1851, church leaders in Oregon discussed starting a school in what was then the Oregon Territory. Then at a meeting in Washington County on April 7, 1853, leaders created a committee to make plans for a school. That committee consisted of J. A. Cornwall, D. H. Bellknap, and James Henry Dickey Henderson, who on October 5 of that year presented a report recommending that funds be raised to establish a Presbyterian school in the territory.
The committee recommended raising $20,000 to start the school by selling scholarships at $100 each. They also said the college should be located between what was then Eugene City in the southern Willamette Valley and Lafayette at the northern edge of the valley. By December 1853 the plan was approved and the church began advertising to raise the funds. In 1854, a new committee was formed with Jacob Gillespie and Mr. Snodgrass, among others, to select the location for the new school, with the committee choosing Eugene on October 5, 1854. Gillespie, who was serving in the Oregon Territorial Legislature, then introduced a bill in order to secure a charter for the college on January 11, 1855.
At that point the school was named Pacific College, but was changed by the legislative committee to Columbia College. That committee, consisting of Gillespie, Asa L. Lovejoy, and Delazon Smith, returned the bill to the main assembly after a single day of consideration. A vote to pass the bill on January 17, 1855, was tabled by David Logan, but he then moved for a vote on January 20, and the bill passed, becoming law on January 24. The original charter called for a co-ed school, and was given to the church April 7, 1855. In May 1855, the board of trustees met for the first time and selected Samuel Dillard as the president of the board, and by October had secured 20 acres (8.1 ha) adjacent to Eugene and a 24-foot (7.3 m) by 48-foot (15 m) building to house the school was under construction. By August 1856, Enoch Pratt Henderson (brother of James Henry), a minister was hired to serve as president of the college, which he did from November 3, 1856 until September 19, 1859. The school opened on November 3, 1856, but did not start classes until November 17 with 52 students.
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