Education in the Area
Virginia Military Institute, founded in 1839, is the oldest state supported military college in the nation. Its mission is to provide an undergraduate educational program of the highest quality within a military environment.
Washington and Lee University was founded in 1749. It is a four-year liberal arts college with a well-respected law school. George Washington endowed the school with 100 shares of James River Company stock in 1796. This gift saved the school from closing. Robert E. Lee became president of the college after the Civil War in 1865.
Southern Virginia University began as Bowling Green Female Seminary in 1867. At that time, "seminary" referred to a school for girls. In 1900, the school moved to a resort hotel in Buena Vista and changed its name to Southern Seminary. The hotel, built in 1890, is now Main Hall and is listed on the National Register as a National Historic Landmark.
