Carroll College Helena

History

History information is some background and history about the location. This is meant to be a basic summary. Below the history records you will find sources in which you can click on to find out more information. There may be multiple history records per location.

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In 1883, the first bishop of Helena, John Baptist Brondel, proposed a Catholic college in Montana to help produce future priests for the soon-to-be diocese of Helena. He died before his plans could be realized. Pope Pius X selected John Patrick Carroll, a young priest from Dubuque, Iowa, as Brondel's successor.

Bishop John Patrick Carroll, second Bishop of the Diocese of Helena, was able to carve out the funding needed to launch the college while at the same time raising money to construct the Cathedral of St. Helena. In 1909, William Howard Taft, 27th President of the United States, helped lay the cornerstone of St. Charles Hall at the college.

The college was founded on September 27, 1909, by John Patrick Carroll, second Bishop of the Diocese of Helena, Montana. It was originally called Mount St. Charles College to honor St. Charles Borromeo. The intent was for it to be an all-men's liberal arts college, with an emphasis on preparing men for careers in the priesthood, law, medicine, teaching, and engineering. In his speech after laying the cornerstone of St. Charles Hall, President William Howard Taft said, "The college you are building here will be a blessing to Helena and to the whole state of Montana. The only trouble is we do not have enough institutions of this kind in the United States."

In September 1910, Mount Saint Charles College opened its doors for classes. The first college student graduated in 1916. In 1932, the school's name was changed to Carroll College in honor of its founder.

During the 1935 Helena earthquake, Carroll College suffered only minor damage, while many other buildings and schools in the city were greatly affected. Property damage was estimated at half a million dollars. The top of the gable wall on the southern portion of St. Charles Hall was damaged and many of the structure's large stones had fallen off. The college decided to replace the roof with a slightly shorter and flatter roof.

The fallen stones were repurposed and used to build an observatory on campus. Carroll College's Neuman Observatory, named after former chemistry professor Edward Neuman, is the oldest astronomical observatory in the state of Montana.

During World War II, Carroll College was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program; it offered students a path to a Navy commission. After the war, the college began a period of expansion that included enrolling many military veterans under the GI Bill. It later admitted the first female students and was transformed by changes resulting from the Second Vatican Council.

The 1989 Helena train wreck caused significant damage to Carroll, notably to Guadalupe Hall, the women's dormitory at the time.

Added by: sdonley on 03/30/2025 DB#:733
Source(s):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carroll_College

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