Evelyn College for Women
Encyclopedia
Evelyn College for Women, often shortened to Evelyn College, was the coordinate women's college
of Princeton University
in Princeton
, New Jersey
between 1887 and 1897. It was the first women's college in the State of New Jersey.
and was able to recruit most of Princeton's most noted faculty members, including Woodrow Wilson
and Henry Fine, to teach at the college. Helen Magill White
, the first woman in the United States
to earn a Ph.D.
, also taught at Evelyn.
members and sisters of male undergraduates. The women called themselves The Orange and the White, a reference to the colors of the university.
With a 50-to-1 ratio
of men to women at Princeton, Evelyn students were subject to considerable harassment from their male counterparts. Police
were employed to keep the men off the Evelyn campus, though the male students would still stand outside the gates chanting for the women to let them inside. Princeton and Evelyn students were rumored to have tryst
s in abandoned houses, a reputation which caused some families to ban their daughters from attending.
published an article about the college, noting that "[i]n the most conservative town, in the most conservative state, right under the shadow of Nassau Hall
, a women's college has evolved" and that the day would come when "our country shall...speak with equal pride of the sons and daughters of Princeton."
However, the college fell on hard times financially after the Panic of 1893
and struggled to keep enrollment up. It closed permanently in 1897 after McIlvaine's death. Women were not permitted to enroll at Princeton again until 1969, when the university became coeducational
.
Women's colleges in the United States
Women's colleges in the United States are single-sex U.S. institutions of higher education that exclude or limit males from admission. They are often liberal arts colleges...
of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
between 1887 and 1897. It was the first women's college in the State of New Jersey.
Background
Evelyn was founded by clergyman Joshua Hall McIlvaine, a Princeton alumnus and former professor at the institution. He named the college after Sir John EvelynJohn Evelyn
John Evelyn was an English writer, gardener and diarist.Evelyn's diaries or Memoirs are largely contemporaneous with those of the other noted diarist of the time, Samuel Pepys, and cast considerable light on the art, culture and politics of the time John Evelyn (31 October 1620 – 27 February...
and was able to recruit most of Princeton's most noted faculty members, including Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
and Henry Fine, to teach at the college. Helen Magill White
Helen Magill White
Helen Magill White was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in the United States....
, the first woman in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to earn a Ph.D.
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
, also taught at Evelyn.
Student body
The Evelyn student body was never composed of more than 50 students in one year and was made up primarily of the daughters of facultyFaculty (university)
A faculty is a division within a university comprising one subject area, or a number of related subject areas...
members and sisters of male undergraduates. The women called themselves The Orange and the White, a reference to the colors of the university.
With a 50-to-1 ratio
Ratio
In mathematics, a ratio is a relationship between two numbers of the same kind , usually expressed as "a to b" or a:b, sometimes expressed arithmetically as a dimensionless quotient of the two which explicitly indicates how many times the first number contains the second In mathematics, a ratio is...
of men to women at Princeton, Evelyn students were subject to considerable harassment from their male counterparts. Police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
were employed to keep the men off the Evelyn campus, though the male students would still stand outside the gates chanting for the women to let them inside. Princeton and Evelyn students were rumored to have tryst
Courtship
Courtship is the period in a couple's relationship which precedes their engagement and marriage, or establishment of an agreed relationship of a more enduring kind. In courtship, a couple get to know each other and decide if there will be an engagement or other such agreement...
s in abandoned houses, a reputation which caused some families to ban their daughters from attending.
Reputation and closure
In 1896, Harper's BazaarHarper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
published an article about the college, noting that "[i]n the most conservative town, in the most conservative state, right under the shadow of Nassau Hall
Nassau Hall
Nassau Hall is the oldest building at Princeton University in the borough of Princeton, New Jersey . At the time it was built in 1754, Nassau Hall was the largest building in colonial New Jersey. Designed originally by Robert Smith, the building was subsequently remodeled by notable American...
, a women's college has evolved" and that the day would come when "our country shall...speak with equal pride of the sons and daughters of Princeton."
However, the college fell on hard times financially after the Panic of 1893
Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893. Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures...
and struggled to keep enrollment up. It closed permanently in 1897 after McIlvaine's death. Women were not permitted to enroll at Princeton again until 1969, when the university became coeducational
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
.
External links
- New Jersey Women's History: Evelyn College Students – includes photograph
- Evelyn College for Women - Princeton Weekly Bulletin