Erskine College was founded in 1839 by the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church as South Carolina's first four-year church-related college. It grew out of an academy for men established in 1835 and a seminary founded two years later at Due West. In 1859, Due West Woman's College was founded and continued for 70 years until it merged with Erskine in 1929. Today, Erskine continues as a liberal arts college with consistent ranking among the country's best small colleges. Its campus, dominated by ancient oaks, blends nineteenth- and twentieth-century architecture, and the modern Bowie Arts Center serves as the school's cultural center with permanent and changing galleries.