Eleutherian College developed in 1854 from Eleutherian Institute, founded in 1848. Thomas Craven and anti-slavery advocates in the area created and supported the institution for the education of students of all races and genders. This structure, built in the 1850s for classes and a chapel, was purchased for restoration in 1990 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1997. Eleutherian provided one of the earliest educational opportunities for women and African-Americans before the Civil War. The Underground Railroad was a widespread network of diverse people in the nineteenth century who aided slaves escaping to freedom from the southern U.S.