Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. Founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, it was renamed Waterville College in 1821. The donations of Christian philanthropist Gardner Colby saw the institution renamed again to Colby University before settling on its current title, reflecting its liberal arts college curriculum, in 1899. Approximately 2,000 students from more than 60 countries are enrolled annually. The college offers 54 major fields of study and 30 minors.
A lithograph depicting the Waterville College campus in 1834.
South College of the original Waterville College campus.
Mary Caffrey Low, the first female graduate of the college and valedictorian of the class of 1875.
An illustration of the Mayflower Hill campus, circa 1945.
Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The city is home to Colby College, Thomas College, and the headquarters of HealthReach Community Health Centers. As of the 2020 census the population was 15,828. Along with Augusta, Waterville is one of the principal cities of the Augusta-Waterville, ME Micropolitan Statistical Area.
City Hall and Opera House in 1905
One Post Office Square, a multiple-use facility, in downtown Waterville
View of downtown Waterville (2014)
Silver and Elm streets (1910), showing the Universalist Church, which was established in 1832
