Milton College

Milton College was a private college located in Milton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1844 as the Milton Academy, it closed in 1982. Its campus is now part of the Milton Historic District.

Milton College
Former name
Milton Academy
TypePrivate
Active1844–1982
Location
Milton
,
Wisconsin
,
United States
ColorsBlue and Brown before 1964 Blue and Gold after 1964[1]
NicknameWildcats
Sporting affiliations
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

History

The college was founded as the Milton Academy (high school) by a group of early Milton settlers, including Milton House owner Joseph Goodrich. It eventually grew to encompass sixteen buildings spread over 24 acres (97,000 m2). Its music department was renowned, and a high percentage of foreign students for the era kept the student body diverse. Although initially many of the students came from Milton, in later years alumni of the college would stay in Milton or return.[2]

Closing

On May 15, 1982, Milton College abruptly closed its doors. At the time, it was Wisconsin's oldest continually operating college.[2] The college's board of trustees had voted 18-2 to close the campus following a notification from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools that the college's accreditation would be dropped in the fall term; it had previously been on probationary status. The decision from North Central stemmed from the college's continually shaky financial situation, which culminated in a $4 million debt. Milton College had been struggling financially since the Great Depression, 50 years earlier. Without accreditation, the college would not have seen any federal loans or grants, adding to an already difficult situation of decreasing student enrollment. Furthermore, it would have no longer been able to compete with schools in the Wisconsin State University System.

Some 135 students had been planning to come back to campus when the school closed, many with only a few credits left until completion of their studies. Officials negotiated with other campuses to accept Milton students.[3]

Milton College transcripts are stored at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, located 13 miles from Milton.

Campus life

Athletics

The college was a member of the NAIA and participated in the sports of baseball, basketball, and football. The Milwaukee Bucks chose Milton College's gymnasium as its pre-season training camp in 1968-69. Among the players was Lew Alcindor, who changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971.[4]

Milton Wildcats football

Milton fielded its first football team in 1899 and its last in 1981. No teams were fielded from 1904 to 1915 and from 1943 to 1945. During this time the college produced seven All-Americans and nine conference titles, in 1935, 1956, 1961, 1964, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, and 1981. The Wildcats played in 419 games during this time with a record of 194–207–18.[5] The school was a member of the Illini-Badger Football Conference from 1976 to 1982.

Greek life

Fraternities

No fraternities or sororities were on campus after 1977 due to falling attendance.[6]

Media
  • The Wildcat – student newspaper
  • The Blue and Gold – student newspaper
  • Experimental Spectrum – student newspaper
  • Milton College Review – student newspaper
  • Fides – college yearbook
  • WVMC-AM – college radio station [7]
  • WMDF-FM – college radio station [8]

Campus adaptive reuse

When the school closed, the buildings were turned over to the banks that kept it alive over the years. Most of the buildings have been converted to commercial or residential use.

  • Main Hall is maintained by the Main Hall Preservation Society and serves as a memorial to the college. Portraits in the building commemorate faculty and alumni over the years.
  • The library is now the Shaw Community Center, owned by the City of Milton. It houses both city hall and the Milton Public Library.[2]
  • The dorms have been converted into apartment buildings.
  • The gymnasium is the home of a local church called The Chapel.

Notable alumni
Name Year Notability References
Stephen Bolles United States House of Resentatives from Wisconsin [9]
Hellen M. Brooks educator and representative to Wisconsin State Assembly [10]
Ward Christensen computer pioneer and inventor of XMODEM
Kerry G. Denson U.S. National Guard General [11]
Joseph Dutton U.S. Commissioner to the U.S. Court in Memphis, Tennessee; Catholic Lay Missionary to the leper colony in Molokai [12]
Lucy Mabel Hall-Brown Physician and writer [13]
Adoniram J. Holmes United States House of Resentatives from iowa [14]
Dave Kraayeveld former professional football player with the National Football League [15]
Dave Krieg former professional football player with the National Football League [16]
Gilbert L. Laws United States House of Resentatives from Nebraska [17]
Canute R. Matson Sheriff of Cook County, Illinois at the time of the 1886 Haymarket Square Riot
Kerwin Mathews actor [18]
Christopher J. Rollis newspaper editor and representative to Wisconsin State Assembly [19]
Charles P. Smith Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin [20]
Francis Marion Smith business magnate known as "The Borax King" [21]
Don S. Wenge U.S. Air Force Major General [22]
Albert Whitford astronomer and director of the Lick Observatory [23]

Notable faculty
Name Notability References
William Clarke Whitford educator, legislator, and pastor of the Seventh Day Baptist Church from Wisconsin [24]
Lorenzo D. Harvey Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin[25] [25]
Edward Searing Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin [26]
Ellsworth Snyder Abstract painter, professional pianist, conductor, and scholar [27]

References
  1. "Archived copy" (PDF). www.miltoncollege.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 December 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. Carla McCann (June 24, 2007). "Buildings, memories are all that remain of Milton College". Janesville Gazette. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
  3. "Milton has its Black Friday". The Milton Courier(Milton, WI) 27 May 1982: 1, 20.
  4. "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Milton" Milton Courier (Milton, WI) 10 January 2021
  5. "Archived copy" (PDF). www.miltoncollege.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 December 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Milton College to celebrate homecoming". Hometown News LP. Retrieved Jun 4, 2020.
  7. "Milton College Memories". www.miltoncollege.org. Archived from the original on 15 May 2005. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  8. "Milton College Memories". www.miltoncollege.org. Archived from the original on 19 December 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  9. "Bolles, Stephen, (1866 - 1941)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  10. 'Wisconsin Blue Book 1925,' Biographical Sketch of Hellen M. Brooks, pg. 664
  11. "Brigadier General Kerry G. Denson". www.nationalguard.mil. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  12. Siddall, John William, ed. (1917). Men of Hawaii. Vol. 1. Honolulu: Honolulu Star-Bulletin. p. 95.
  13. Willard, Frances Elizabeth; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice (1893). A woman of the century: fourteen hundred-seventy biographical sketches accompanied by portraits of leading American women in all walks of life. Cornell University Library. Buffalo, N.Y.: Moulton. p. 349 – via Internet Archive.
  14. "Holmes, Adoniram Judson, (1842 - 1902)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  15. "Dave Kraayeveld". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  16. "Dave Krieg". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  17. "Laws, Gilbert Lafayette, (1838 - 1907)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  18. "Issue 3 Fall" (PDF). Milton College Preservation Society. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  19. 'Wisconsin Blue Book 1885,' Biographical Sketch of Christopher J. Rollis, pg. 429
  20. "Term: Smith, Charles P. 1926". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  21. "Francis "Borax" Marion Smith - The Borax King of Death Valley". Legends of America. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  22. "Major general don s. Wenger". US Air Force. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  23. "Albert Whitford, eminent astronomer and former director of Lick Observatory, dies at 96". UC Santa Cruz. April 2, 2002. Archived from the original on September 1, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  24. "Term: Whitford, William Clarke 1828 - 1902". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  25. The Sabbath Recorder. George B. Utter. 1917. p. 11.
  26. "Term: Searing, Edward 1835 - 1898". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  27. "Ellsworth snyder". Jennifer Norback Fine Art, Inc. Retrieved November 21, 2013.


42°46′28″N 88°56′33″W

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