On December 28, we celebrate Charter Day: An annual recognition of the granting of the institution's original charter. The Arcadia University legacy begins in 1853, in Western Pennsylvania, when Sylvania Jones and Juliet A. Poundstone left their family homes in Lafayette County, PA., to pursue an education. The two ladies accompany Dr. Sheridan Baker, principal at the Brownsville School they had attended, to the newly chartered Beaver Female Seminary 26 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. Led by President Baker, Beaver Female Seminary teaches during an era when few colleges for young women exist. Enrollment grew slowly, and in 1872 the school attained collegiate status, with the new name of the Beaver College and Musical Institute. Today, we celebrate 172 years of excellence at this insitution! #CharterDay #ArcadiaUniversity #BeaverCollege