Coates - College - Putnam

Dr. LG Hay, President of the Coates Female College at Terre Haute, gave a very pleasant reception there last Friday night which many of the most prominent persons in Terre Haute attended. It will be remember that it received its name from Mrs. Jane Coates of this city, who donated to it the building and grounds.

Source: Crawfordsville Weekly Journal 11 June 1897 p 3

Coates College was founded by Mrs. Jane Coates of Greencastle about 12 years ago and it was supposed that she had bequeathed to it perhaps $40,000.  Instead the property values shrunk to $12,000 or $15,000. The Presbyterians of the state and the national board of aid of the church undertook to put the institution on  a paying basis a few years ago and $60,000 was subscribed but the hard times prevented the collection of the money. The first of this year a committee of prominent Presbyterians of the state was selected to raise money but it found the the chances all against success. A receiver has been appointed and the school will close with this term. Its curriculum was of the highest standard and ranked with Wellesley and Vassar. There has been some talk among the faculty and alumni of Wabash College of making Coates College  a coordinate branch of Wabash but no authoritative proposition has been received by the trustees of Coates/.