Milton College ceased operations on May 15, 1982. Its board of trustees reached the decision with an 18-to-2 vote after regional accreditation officials signaled they would revoke the school's probationary status in the coming fall semester. The institution was effectively insolvent, carrying a debt of $4 million. The Janesville Gazette remembered the school as Wisconsin's oldest continuously operating college at the time of its closure.

The story of the institution began 138 years prior in a settlement consisting of only four houses.

What defines the legacy of Milton College?
  • The inaugural building was constructed from a unique mixture of gravel and lime, a precursor to modern concrete.
  • During the American Civil War, two full infantry companies were formed entirely from the school's students and faculty.
  • For three decades, the state superintendent of education post was consistently held by figures from this small town.
  • The claim of being the "oldest college" rests on a historical legacy that includes an eight-month gap in operations.

How was Milton College founded and constructed?

Joseph Goodrich arrived in the region in the spring of 1838 after a months-long journey from Alfred, New York, eventually staking a claim about 100 kilometers west of Milwaukee. He was a prominent member of the Seventh Day Baptists, a Protestant group that observed Saturday as the Sabbath. Families from his congregation followed him in 1839. At that time, Wisconsin was not yet a state but a federal territory, and it lacked a single college within its borders.

In 1844, when the village consisted of only four houses, Goodrich financed the construction of a school building on the northwest corner of the square. It cost approximately $300, with Goodrich covering all initial expenses. The school adopted co-education from its inception. The walls were composed of a mixture Goodrich called grout: a blend of sand, slaked lime, broken stone, and gravel mixed with water and poured into molds. It was a crude precursor to contemporary concrete.

That same year, Goodrich began building a hexagonal-towered inn across the square using the same mixture. The Milton House was completed in 1845 and is now a National Historic Landmark. A narrow tunnel connects the inn’s basement to the family's log cabin. The National Park Service archives cite family testimonies suggesting the tunnel served as a passage for escaped slaves, noting that its dimensions—narrow enough for a person to crawl through—make such usage historically plausible.

What was the role of the academy in the Civil War?

The initial building deteriorated quickly. By 1853, the school remained closed for two-thirds of the year due to inadequate facilities. After receiving a charter from the territorial government as Du Lac Academy in 1848, the institution was re-chartered by the state legislature as Milton Academy in March 1854. The cream-colored brick Main Hall, which still stands today, opened for classes in the fall of 1855 on an eight-acre plot donated by Goodrich.

The academy's primary mission was teacher training. Between 1858 and 1865, more than 100 graduates were employed in primary and secondary schools, normal schools, and at the University of Wisconsin. In 1864, the Wisconsin Journal of Education reported that no other academy in the state supplied as many teachers to surrounding schools as Milton.

The Civil War disrupted this progress. More than 325 young men from the academy volunteered for the Union Army, and 46 died in combat or from disease. While enrollment stood at 384 in 1861, it fell to 292 by 1865. Company K of the 13th Wisconsin Infantry and Company H of the 40th Wisconsin Infantry were composed entirely of students and alumni of the academy.

Notes and Sources

  1. The Milton Courier (May 27, 1982). Milton has its Black Friday, pp. 1, 20.
  2. McCann, C. (June 24, 2007). Buildings, memories are all that remain of Milton College. The Janesville Gazette.
  3. City of Milton. Historic Milton, Wisconsin Tour Guide. Milton Historic Preservation Commission.
  4. Welch, D. (January 7, 2025). Historical Musings: Joseph Goodrich built original Milton Academy. Milton Courier.
  5. National Park Service. Milton House, National Historic Landmark Nomination (NRHP 72000065).
  6. Milton College Preservation Society (2019). Milton College 1844-1982 / Milton College Historic District, historical marker no. 582, Milton, Wisconsin.
  7. Welch, D. (January 2025). Historical Musings: Milton College key focus was educating Wisconsin teachers. Milton Courier.
  8. Milton Courier (March 2023). Milton Public Library to showcase college’s celebrity visitors.
  9. The New International Encyclopædia (1905). Milton College.