{"id":12,"date":"2019-09-19T16:21:40","date_gmt":"2019-09-19T16:21:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/exhibits.truman.edu\/1890skirksville\/?page_id=12"},"modified":"2026-10-05T21:51:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T21:51:28","slug":"mercantile-college-1892-1893","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/exhibits.truman.edu\/1890skirksville\/mercantile-college-1892-1893\/","title":{"rendered":"Mercantile College (1892-1893)"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\""Mercantile\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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History<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Mr and Mrs William J Smith came to Kirksville, Mo., on July 11, 1880, full of determination.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>On the 23rd of July they secured the first scholar in the penmanship department, a young man named George Ballew.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>The writing desk was a dry goods box and the seat a trunk.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>For this lesson Mr Ballew paid ten cents.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>But the immediate results were not only the fruits of this lesson, for the young man recommended his teacher to his friends, and other students were added from time to time, each new student being a self-constituted advertising agent.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>The dry goods box gave way to a plain writing table, and the trunk was displaced by chairs and the new teacher was forced to move further down town to a small house.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Here the Kirksville Mercantile College was really begun.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>They remained here until April 1st 1881, when they removed to a brick building near the central part of town.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>The called their school a Writing Institute and it grew so rapidly that in a few months they entered the largest building they could get and there added a commercial department, employing two additional teachers.\n

In March 1882, Smith began the fulfillment of his long cherished plan. He suggested erecting a college building which would be an honor and an ornament to the city.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>One hundred memberships were sold and in November 1883 the college was ready for occupation.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>It is a three-story brick edifice, 50×80 feet in size and includes departments for plain and ornamental penmanship, book-keeping and actual business, with a capacity sufficient for five hundred students.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>The opera hall above, designed for the use of lectures and various entertainments has a seating capacity of six hundred and fifty, and is conveniently arranged for this purpose.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Catalogue\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Thirteenth Annual Catalogue of the Kirksville Mercantile College and Writing Institute, 1892-93. Kirksville: Journal Printing Co, 1893.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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An important step in the history of the College was taken in March 1892 by the incorporation of the Mercantile College Company with a capital stock of $20,000.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>

(abstracted from “History” in\u00a0The Catalogue)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Faculty, 1892-93<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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G. M. Barrett, Principal<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

Law, Arithmetic, Bookkeeping<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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J. M. Mumma<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

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J. W. Wright<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

Shorthand, Typing, Telegraphy<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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William J. Smith<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

President<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Genevieve (Curtis) Smith<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

Penmanship<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Etta Curtis<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

Assistant, Penmanship<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Lillian Curtis<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

Assistant, Shorthand<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Students, 1892-93<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Faculty & Students\n
Spring 1893 photo <\/br><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Kirksville Mercantile College Students & Faculty<\/strong><\/b><\/span><\/p>

\u00a0In the above photograph, Kirksville Mercantile College\u00a0students & faculty are posed on the steps of the school at 210 E Washington (corner Washington & High).\u00a0 The College was founded in 1881, occupied this building from 1882 till 1894, and closed in 1897.\u00a0Frank M Harrington<\/strong><\/b>\u00a0purchased the building in 1894 and later remodeled it as the\u00a0Harrington Theatre<\/strong><\/b>\u00a0(aka The Opera House).\u00a0GM Barrett<\/strong><\/b>, seated center front, was Principal when this photo was taken.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Ladies' Residence\n
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W.J. Smith House,210 E Washington<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

In the above photograph, students are stood on the porch of the W.J. Smith House, also known as the\u00a0Kirksville Mercantile College\u00a0Ladies’ Residence<\/strong><\/b>, the home of\u00a0President\u00a0<\/strong><\/b>W J Smith\u00a0<\/strong><\/b>was part of the school’s campus.\u00a0 Mrs Smith oversaw the residents and apparently served meals to all students as well (the sign over the entrance says “Welcome Eaters”).<\/span>\u00a0 Helen (Mallett) \u201cMa\u201d Scott<\/strong><\/b>\u00a0later operated a rooming house for Normal & ASO students in this home.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Student Roster<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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To view the student roster of the 1892-1893 graduates of the Mercantile College follow the link below.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStudent Roster List<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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For information concerning this exhibit contact:<\/span> speccoll@truman.edu<\/a><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

History Mr and Mrs William J Smith came to Kirksville, Mo., on July 11, 1880, full of determination.\u00a0\u00a0On the 23rd of July they secured the first scholar in the penmanship department, a young man named George Ballew.\u00a0\u00a0The writing desk was a dry goods box and the seat a trunk.\u00a0\u00a0For this lesson Mr Ballew paid ten…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-12","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nMercantile College (1892-1893) - Welcome to 1890s Kirksville<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/exhibits.truman.edu\/1890skirksville\/mercantile-college-1892-1893\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mercantile College (1892-1893) - 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