A Brief History of Colby

Chartered in 1813 when Maine was still part of Massachusetts, and originally called the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, Colby is one of the oldest colleges in New England. After Maine separated from Massachusetts, the new legislature conferred upon the school the right to grant degrees, and in 1821 the institution was renamed Waterville College.

The turmoil of the Civil War severely tested the resources of the College as many students left the all-male campus and the school appeared to be on the verge of closing. At that point Gardner Colby, a well-to-do Boston merchant and local Maine native, stepped in to provide the funding necessary to avert tragedy. The grateful Board of Trustees thanked him for the gift by promptly renaming the school after him.

A few short years later another landmark event occurred at the school. Mary Low, who matriculated in 1871, became the College's first female student, and Colby gained the distinction of being the first all-male New England college to become coeducational. An exceptional student, Mary Low was the Valedictorian of the Class of 1875.

Following World War I, Colby found itself crowded between the Kennebec River and the repair yards of the Maine Central Railroad in downtown Waterville. Ten buildings stood on a scant 30 acres, with six other buildings scattered across the downtown area. The trustees addressed the problem by voting to move to a new site. President Frankllin W. Johnson led the effort, and the campaign eventually proved successful, overcoming such major setbacks as the Depression and World War II. In 1952 Colby completed the move to the new site, Mayflower Hill, on land that had been made available to the College by the citizens of Waterville.