Missouri: A Guide to the "Show Me" State by Federal Writers' Project; Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1941

STEPHENS COLLEGE ( open 8:30-5 ), Broadway Ave., between Waugh St. and College Ave., a junior college for girls, is housed in about 30 buildings, which, except for minor outlying structures, are divided between 4 campuses, totaling 220 acres. The principal buildings, from two to six stories in height, are of modified English Renaissance design. Stephens' country club, riding stables, and golf course are at the eastern end of Walnut Street. The school is said to have originated in the Columbia Female, or Lucy Wales Academy, which was founded in 1833 and closed in 1853. In 1856, a Baptist Female College was chartered, which in 1870 was designated as one of the State female colleges of this denomination. James L. Stephens of Columbia endowed this institution with $20,000, and its name was consequently changed to Stephens College. The school's greatest growth has been since 1912. In 1937, considerable national interest attended the appointment of Maude Adams, celebrated actress, as professor of drama. In 1939-40, the college had an enrollment of 1,646 students, and a faculty of 320.

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