Lombard University

City: Galesburg

County: Knox

State: Illinois

Lombard University was a Universalist college in Galesburg, Illinois. In May 1850, a group of Universalists passed resolutions called for the founding of a seminary of learning in Galesburg. In October 1851, the institution received its incorporation, and the school opened its doors in the fall of 1852. Originally called the Illinois Liberal Institute, it was renamed Lombard University in 1855 after Benjamin Lombard donated a large amount of money to rebuild sections of the school building lost to a fire. Due to its Universalist roots, the school was coeducational.

Chas. C. Chapman, History of Knox County, Illinois (Chicago: Blakely, Brown, & Marsh, 1878), 563-71.