North-Western Normal Campus

This is the campus of North-Western Normal college in Geneseo on more than three acres of land. This picture was taken in 1988. The first building from the left was the original home of Major James M. Allen and was converted for class room use in 1883. In 1885 "The Mansion" was used chiefly for housing teachers and a limited number of lady students at a cost of $3.25 to $4.00 per week. Beside the "Mansion" seven boarding houses and a large number of private families boarded students with a furnished room at the cost of $2.00 to 3.50 per week, some places as little as $1.25 per week, according to the school catalog. The next item in the middle was the bell tower. The building you can see in the back, "The College" was built in 1884 for $5,000. For several years over 400 students yearly attended this college. Bachelor's and Master's degrees of Science were attained upon graduation. Their specialty was education for teaching and business or professional studies. In 1885 at the "Business College" the tuition for six months was $40.00 to $60.00. Room and board rent was $70.00 to $100.00. A course in English branches was an additional $5.00 to $10.00. Otherwise, the tuition for two terms at "North-Western Normal" was $24 a term. Room and board for two terms was $40.00 to $60.00. Courses in English Branches, Drawing, Penmanship, and Common Law were free and included in the tuition. A "term" consisted of 10 weeks. After 30 weeks a student could be certified to become a teacher.