Salina Post proudly presents Flashback Friday in partnership with the Smoky Hill Museum. Enjoy a weekly tidbit of local history from the staff at Salina Post and the Smoky Hill Museum as we present "Salina-Flashback Fridays."
By SALINA POST
Marymount College today is the home of the Kansas Highway Patrol's training center, but the towering building once stood as a college for women, started by the Sisters of Saint Joseph.
The college opened in 1922 with support from the City of Salina and the town's Catholic community. According to the Smoky Hill Museum, the city donated 16 acres of land and $50,000 in support.
With the $50,000 donation from Salina, the Sisters of Saint Joseph agreed to cover the staggering $100,000 cost of the institution, almost $2 million in today's cash.
According to the Smoky Hill Museum, the four-year liberal arts school initially encountered some challenges during construction, with rising costs jeopardizing the school's future.
This would cause the Sisters of Saint Joseph to contact Pope Benedict XV for help, who helped fund the rest of the construction cost.
Smoky Hill Museum quoted Patricia Ackerman's book "Marymount College of Kansas: A History."
"One year before the United States granted women the right to vote, the Sisters of St. Joseph broke ground on the construction of the first all women's college in Kansas," Ackerman stated. "Dubbed the 'Million-Dollar College,' the hilltop campus overlooking the Smoky Hill River finally opened its doors in 1922."
The memorial building at the Catholic University in Washington D.C. inspired the large college and eventually opened its doors to male and female students.
Over the next six decades, the school grew to include five buildings, three dormitories and more than 650 students enrolled. The school's programs of the liberal arts, including art, theatre, and athletics, gained notoriety around the globe.
Marymount College hosted world leaders, including John F. Kennedy, before the school closed its academic doors in 1989 for financial reasons.
READ MORE: 📸 Flashback Friday: Salina Post - Cozy Inn Hamburgers - Vol. 16
A new generation of education and living
Three years after the school closed, Salina architect Donnie Marrs purchased the original administration building from the Salina Diocese in 1992 and began renovating.
Marrs began transforming old college lecture halls into large, modern condominiums while continuing the legacy of the historic college.
Kansas Highway Patrol also uses buildings on the campus as its state-wide dispatch center and training center, continuing to educate young minds on the historic campus grounds.