Canterbury College was a private institution located in

Danville, Indiana Danville is a town in and the county seat of Hendricks County, Indiana, United States. The population was 9,001 at the 2010 census, up from 6,418 at the 2000 census. In 2019 the estimated population was 10,126. History Danville was founded in 1 ...

, United States from 1878 to 1951. The school was known as Central Normal College prior to 1946.

History

The college was founded in 1876 as part of the larger statewide university system in Indiana. The school was located in

Ladoga, Indiana Ladoga is a town in Clark Township, Montgomery County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 1,081 at the 2020 census, up from 985 in 2010. History Ladoga was platted in 1836 by John Myers. Myers invited his friends to help him find ...

, but was moved to

in 1878 after purchasing the former Danville Academy buildings. Normal Hall is the only remaining building associated with the Central Indiana Normal School at Ladoga. ''Note:'' This includes and Accompanying photographs. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

in 1996. The school taught traditional college courses, but primarily focused on training teachers. Over 75,000 teachers were trained while the school was in operation. In 1942 the school buildings were taken over by the Northern Diocese of the Episcopal Church and the college was renamed Canterbury College, but it continued as a normal school until closing in 1951 due to bankruptcy. The old Administration Building and the Chapel were torn down, but Hargrave Hall and the C.C. Bostick Gymnasium were used as the

Danville Community High School Danville Community High School (DCHS) is a public high school located in Danville, Indiana. DCHS enrolls students from grades nine through twelve and is operated by the Danville Community School Corporation. Danville is part of the Sagamore Co ...

and then the Danville Community Middle School until 2009. The building is currently used for Ivy Tech classes in conjunction with Danville Community High School and is referred to as Central Normal Campus. In addition to housing educational facilities, it also houses the Danville Police Department as well Danville Athletic Club. The majority of the College's records and archive materials are maintained by

Indiana State University Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified among "D/PU: Doctor ...

Notable alumni

The school's alumni include: *

Samuel Ralston Samuel Moffett Ralston (December 1, 1857 – October 14, 1925) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as the 28th governor of the U.S. state of Indiana and a United States senator from Indiana. Born into a large impov ...

, a United States Senator and the 28th Indiana

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, *U.S. Representative William Larrabee *U.S. Representative

William La Follette William Leroy La Follette (November 30, 1860 – December 20, 1934) was a four-term member of the United States House of Representatives representing Washington. He represented the 3rd District from 1911 to 1915, and the 4th District from 1915 ...

*MLB pitcher

Vic Aldridge Victor Aldridge (October 25, 1893 – April 17, 1973), nicknamed the "Hoosier Schoolmaster", was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Giants, and was known to be ...

, *

John Cravens John W. Cravens (October 1, 1864 – August 10, 1937) was the Registrar of Indiana University from 1895 to 1936. Early life Cravens was born in Center Valley, Indiana. He was one of seven children of William and Sarah Cravens. Cravens began his ...

, long-time university administrator * David Myers, Justice of the

Indiana Supreme Court The Indiana Supreme Court, established by Article 7 of the Indiana Constitution, is the highest judicial authority in the state of Indiana. Located in Indianapolis, the Court's chambers are in the north wing of the Indiana Statehouse. In Dece ...

Jim Springer James Elmer Springer (June 17, 1926 - February 19, 2018) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball League (United States), National Basketball League, Basketball Association of America, and American Baske ...

, former professional basketball player *

George Tremain George Lee Tremain (April 6, 1874 – February 8, 1948) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge who served as a justice of the Indiana Supreme Court from January 1, 1935 to December 31, 1940. Biography Early life and education Tremain wa ...

, Justice of the

Lewis Terman Lewis Madison Terman (January 15, 1877 – December 21, 1956) was an American psychologist and author. He was noted as a pioneer in educational psychology in the early 20th century at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. He is best known ...

, human development psychologist. *

William H. Stead William Henry Stead (June 12, 1858 – April 13, 1918) was an American politician and lawyer. Biography William H. Stead was born on a farm near Marseilles, Illinois on June 12, 1858. He went to Central Normal College, in Ladoga, Indiana and ...

, Illinois Attorney General, also went to the school. *Frank W. Griese, Mayor of

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

(1930–1935) *

John W. Spencer John Wesley Spencer (March 7, 1864 – June 28, 1939) was a justice of the Indiana Supreme Court from April 15, 1912, to January 7, 1919. Spencer was born in Mount Vernon, Indiana to attorney Elijah M. Spencer and Mary E. (Morse) Spencer, a member ...

, Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme CourtLeander John Monks, ''Courts and Lawyers of Indiana, Volume 3'' (1916), p. 1365.

References

External links

Hendricks County Historical Museum: Central Normal College

Hendricks County Heritage Digital Collection

Defunct private universities and colleges in Indiana Education in Hendricks County, Indiana Educational institutions established in 1876 Educational institutions disestablished in 1951 1876 establishments in Indiana 1951 disestablishments in Indiana {{Indiana-university-stub