Pleasant J. Potter College

In early 1884, a group of businessmen in Bowling Green, Kentucky formed a committee to establish a girls' school for local and boarding students. Benjamin F. Cabell was elected president of the proposed school; he had taught at the Cedar Bluff College in Kentucky until that institution was destroyed by fire. Cabell began planning and fundraising for the new college. Cabell and the committee sold subscriptions to the local community for $25 a share to fund a "state of the art" building. Because the building was not completed until December, boarding students were housed in town. Western Kentucky State Normal School bought the buildings, properties, and adjacent 177 acres of Potter College in 1909 for $82,500. In February 1911, Western relocated to the former Potter campus. In the 1930s, the Potter College building was demolished. Potter College alumnae became affiliates of Western's alumni association in 1930. == Campus ==

Potter College was located at the summit of Vinegar Hill (also called Copley Knob), above downtown Bowling Green. The four-story Italianate style college building was designed by Louisville architect Harry P. McDonald. The building featured two wings; a third wing was added in 1890. Its first floor included a chapel, classrooms, a dining room, a kitchen, a library, and reception rooms. The second and third stories had a gymnasium, a music room, and 100 furnished bedrooms that housed two students each. The building had modern conveniences; it was heated by steam, illuminated by gas light, and its nine bathrooms had hot and cold running water. The college president and his wife also lived in the building until a nearby house was acquired in 1907. == Academics ==

Potter College operated as a finishing school for upper-class girls but also provided a liberal arts education that prepared its students for work as artists, businesswomen, nurses, social reformers, teachers, and writers. Its students graduated with Bachelor of Arts, Mistress of English language, or a Certificate of Proficiency. The latter required "satisfactory completion" of coursework in elocution, English, French, German, Latin, math, music, and science. Cabell developed a curriculum focused on English studies, mathematics, and science. Students studied a mix of classical and more recent writings, including Geoffrey Chaucer, Cicero, Nathaniel Hawthorne, William Shakespeare, and Virgil. Science offerings include botany, chemistry, physics, and zoology. Other required courses included history, logic, and political economy. Over time, religious studies, elocution, political geography, and spelling were added to the college's curriculum. Students could also take electives, including art, languages, and music. == Student life ==

Students at Potter College were required to attend chapel daily; on Sundays, they attended the local church selected by their parents. All four chapters went defunct in 1909 when the college closed. The sororities established rooms in the school building. The students formed intramural athletic teams for basketball, bowling, and tennis. The students also published The Green and Gold on a quarterly basis. == See also ==