Ottumwa College.—This institution was projected by the Methodist Episcopal church of Ottumwa, Coffey county, about the beginning of the Civil war. An elevation known as "College Hill" was selected as a site and the corner-stone of the first building was laid with imposing ceremonies in 1862. At that time there was more of a rivalry among the various Protestant denominations than at present, and shortly after the corner-stone was laid the Christian church of Ottumwa, under the ministrations of such men as Jenks, Cox and McCombs, experienced a revival that won many of the Methodists from their original faith to the Christian church. The result was that the proposed college was transferred to the latter denomination.

In 1864 Rev. J. M. Rankin was placed at the head of the school and the pupils of school district No. 2 were sent to the college, the tuition being paid out of the public funds. This helped the college, but at the end of 1865 the college trustees informed the school board that the arrangement must cease. The board then erected a school building and employed Mr. Rankin as teacher. The college employed others and dragged along a precarious existence until the following year when it was closed. Rakin and Cox then moved to Burlington and Dr. David Gwin came to Ottumwa as the leading elder of the church. A rivalry quickly grew up between him and Dr. Jenks, the second elder, and both being physicians, it was perhaps natural that there should be some professional jealousy between them. Gwin and Jenks each tried to get hold of the school, and late in 1872 the former succeeded. He immediately turned it over to the church, a board of trustees was appointed, and arrangements were made to open the institution on the second Monday in Sept., 1873, with John McCrocker as principal and his wife as assistant. In August the building was totally destroyed by fire—supposed to have been of incendiary origin—and Ottumwa College passed into history.