Ferry Hall School, Girls preparatory school in Lake Forest, Illinois, United States
Ferry Hall School, originally known as The Young Ladies' Seminary, was a girls preparatory school in Lake Forest, Illinois, offering courses in science, mathematics, and liberal arts. It operated as both a day school and a boarding school, with classroom buildings and residential quarters on the same campus.
The school was founded in 1869, making it one of the earlier institutions dedicated to women's education in the region. It merged with Lake Forest Academy in 1974, which ended its run as a stand-alone school.
The school was shaped by Presbyterian values, which showed in daily chapel services and a structured routine for its students. Some of the original campus buildings still stand today and give a sense of how life was organized there.
The original campus is in Lake Forest, a suburb north of Chicago, and some of the older buildings are still visible on the grounds. Since the site is now part of Lake Forest Academy, it is worth checking in advance which areas are open to visitors.
During Eloise Ruthven Tremain's time as head from 1918 to 1945, the school cut its financial ties with Lake Forest University and became self-governing. This step gave the school full control over its own direction, which was unusual for a small institution of that era.
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