Florida legislation supporting the East Florida Seminary (1853)

On January 6, 1853, Florida Governor Thomas Brown signed a bill providing public support to higher education. That same year the state established the East Florida Seminary, which the legislature had sited in Ocala in 1852. It was Florida's first state-supported institution of higher learning and operated until the Civil War began in 1861.

Episodes

Background and detail

Legislative Authorization. The Florida Legislature authorized two seminaries in 1851, one for counties east of the Suwannee River. In 1852, Ocala was selected as the site for the East Florida Seminary. Marion County contributed funds and land, including buildings from a private institute, to support the new state-sponsored institution.

Opening and Operations. The East Florida Seminary opened in 1853 with four teachers and approximately 60 students. It was Florida's first state-supported institution of higher learning. The school operated in Ocala until 1861, when the outbreak of the American Civil War caused its closure.

Connection to University of Florida. The East Florida Seminary is recognized as the oldest predecessor institution of the University of Florida. Although it closed in 1861, it reopened in Gainesville in 1866. The modern university traces its origins to this 1853 founding, eventually merging with other institutions under the Buckman Act in 1905.

People involved

Sources

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