Historical Marker: Wayne County Seminary

Non-denominational academies called county seminaries opened across Indiana soon after statehood. Wayne County Seminary opened at present day Spruce and School Streets in 1829 and by 1835 offered elementary to collegiate level classes for male and female students. Several students became prominent citizens, including author Lew Wallace and politician Oliver P. Morton. By 1849, the co-educational school became the White Water Female College and Academy. Over the following decades the school changed administration and names (White Water College, c. 1850, Centerville Collegiate Institute, 1865) but continued to flourish with over 200 students. The institution was converted to a public school c. 1870 and destroyed by fire, 1891.