Jewell Lutheran College papers, 1897-1935

Biography/History: 
Jewell Lutheran College was founded in 1893 in Jewell, Iowa, by a group of local Lutherans who envisioned a broadly Christian institution not tied to any specific synod. The college opened its doors in 1894 with roughly thirty students and soon expanded its curriculum to include academic, commercial, musical, and vocational courses that served the educational needs of the surrounding rural community. 

Financial pressures led to its transfer to the Iowa District of the Hague Synod in 1897, and the campus continued to grow until a devastating fire in 1903 destroyed the main building and claimed the lives of two students. Rebuilt the following year, the school carried on into the early twentieth century, offering a wide range of programs and, at its height, enrolling more than seventy students. Declining enrollment and rising financial challenges, however, eventually forced the college to close after its final commencement in 1924. In 1925, its buildings were transferred to the local public school district, ensuring that the former college campus would continue to serve the community. 

Scope and Content: 
Papers of a secondary institution founded in 1893 at Jewell, Iowa. Consisting of account books, catalogs, journals, programs, and reports.

Location:
7/B/6-7/C/1, 68/A/2