168 years ago today—January 25—the Alabama Legislature chartered Southern University as a Methodist institution in Greensboro, Alabama. In 1918, the University would go on to merge with Birmingham College to form Birmingham-Southern College.

Bham Now spoke with Dr. G. Ward Hubbs, Professor Emeritus at Birmingham-Southern College, to learn more about the college’s early history.

Founded in Greensboro in 1856

The Birmingham-Southern College of today traces its roots back to 1856, when the Alabama Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South founded Southern University.

At the time, Methodists were establishing colleges and universities across the country, such as Hendrix College in Arkansas, Wofford College in South Carollina and Duke University in North Carolina. Although Alabama had already established a public university in Tuscaloosa, the Methodists wished to form a new institution in line with their principles.

“[The Methodists] acknowledged that the state already had a fine and well functioning state institution where students could cultivate a general education in the arts and sciences. They found the University of Alabama out of balance, however, because it neglected moral and religious instruction. What they sought was an institution that merged rigorous scholarship with principled action in order ‘to serve God and his generation on earth.’ The key word was serve.”
Exerpt from “A Compelling Idea: Birmingham-Southern College” by Dr. G. Ward Hubbs

Greensboro or Auburn?

To determine the location for Southern University, the Methodists essentially created an auction: the town that pledged the most money would be home to the new institution. Two small towns—Auburn and Greensboro—competed neck-and-neck, but the wealthier Greensboro was able to offer more.

Fun fact: Although Auburn lost Southern University, the town’s citizens convinced the Alabama Legislature to charter the Methodist-affiliated East Alabama Male College on February 1, 1856. Today, that college is Auburn University!

According to A Compelling Idea: Birmingham-Southern College, Southern University officially opened its doors to an inaugural class of 52 students on October 5, 1859. The future seemed bright, with plans to grow the University’s educational opportunities and expand the faculty and student body.

However, the first shots of the Civil War were fired less than two years later—igniting a conflict that yanked a majority of Southern University’s students from a classroom to the battlefield.

Joining forces with Birmingham College

BSC — Southern University’s class of 1897. (Birmingham-Southern College Archives)

In the aftermath of the Civil War, the cotton-dependent wealth of Greensboro (and by extension, Southern University) had dried up. Gone were the dreams of expansion—Southern University was just trying to survive.

Meanwhile, the Methodists opened a new college—originally North Alabama Conference College, then renamed Birmingham College—in 1898 on the outskirts of the booming city of Birmingham. Although the young city was founded in 1871, Birmingham’s steel-producing industry fueled a period of transformational growth that inspired its nickname: The Magic City.

“Birmingham College was everything that Southern University wasn’t. While Greensboro was drying up, Birmingham was one of the biggest, fastest-growing towns in the South. Even so, the Methodists could not sustain two colleges in the state.”
Dr. G. Ward Hubbs, Professor Emeritus, Birmingham-Southern College

As if the trouble of supporting two Methodist schools in Alabama simultaneously wasn’t enough, the United States’ entry into the First World War threatened both Birmingham College and Southern University. After many of their students enlisted to fight, both colleges decided to merge and consolidate resources.

The new Birmingham-Southern College officially opened its doors in September of 1918.

The Next Chapter of Birmingham-Southern College’s story

BSC — Birmingham-Southern College’s campus, also known as “The Hilltop”. (Birmingham-Southern College)

Despite challenges that seemed insurmountable, Birmingham-Southern College’s leadership and dedicated faculty overcame the odds to create an award-winning educational experience for generations of students in Alabama.

Now, Birmingham-Southern College is facing a new struggle—and they need your help.

Answer The Call to Action for BSC by reaching out to your local and state representatives and help write The Next Chapter of Birmingham-Southern College by donating today.