Credit: Courtesy of the Council of Independent Colleges Historic Campus Architecture Project
Like Washington and Jefferson, Lancaster's Franklin and Marshall College was the result of the merger of two separate colleges. Named for Benjamin Franklin, Franklin College was chartered in 1786, ostensibly to serve Lancaster's strong German population. In 1853 Franklin College merged with the smaller Marshall College. The subsequent growth of the College was tied closely to Lancaster's expanding commercial and cultural life, and many of the city's booster's took an active interest in the college's success.
