The Florida State University Campus

The Florida State University campus is the oldest continuously used site of higher education in Florida. In 1851, the Florida Legislature authorized two state seminaries, one east and one west of the Suwannee River. Seeking to secure the western seminary, Tallahassee, led by Intendent Francis Eppes, offered four city lots for the school and $2,000 a year for its operation. The site selected was the crest of Gallows Hill, about a half mile west of the center of town. The West Florida Seminary opened in 1857, with its first classes held in a wood frame building erected by the city. Eppes, a grandson of Thomas Jefferson, served for eight years as president of the seminary's governing board. In 1901 the school became Florida State College, in 1909 it became the Florida State College for Women, and in 1947 the Florida Legislature made it a fully coeducational institution, creating The Florida State University.

Tallahassee, Florida · United States