Liberty Ladies College, with its turrets and tower, is shown on its scenic hill-top site in the west section of Liberty early in the century. The school occupied a block square site, bounded by Kansas, Ridge, Fairview and College Streets. The view from the front door was of the rooftops of Liberty residences and the courthouse and to the east the hilltop site of William Jewell College, then a men's institution.The all-girl's 140-room college gave a two-year cultural and classical education to young ladies in the 1890's and early years of the 1900's before the building burned on a Sunday afternoon, Feb. 23, 1913. The cost of the four-story brick structure was $44,000 when erected in 1890. Most girls attending the college lived at the school. Jane Waters of Bonner Springs was one of those. Liberty 'town girls' attended classes at the school, but returned to their homes for bed and board. Some of the students married town boys and still make their home in Liberty. A few of these are the Crews girls, Floy and Rita, now Mrs. Tom Wornall and Mrs. Harry L. Boggess, Sr.; Ruth Daily, now Mrs. Jesse Watkins; Minnie Petty, now Mrs. Ray Clark; Jeanette Kiersted, now Mrs. A. B. Crawford; and Helen Anderson, now Mrs. G. G. Hall. The burned-out college site later became that of the Liberty High School. In 1972 it became the Liberty Junior High School. Kansas City Times, November 21, 1980.
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