Sequicentennial Snapshot First State Normal School

In 1865, the state Legislature authorized creation of “normal” schools to train teachers. Thanks to strong community support, the first one opened in Platteville in 1866 in Roundtree Hall, which formerly housed a private high school. The Platteville Normal School opened with five faculty members and 60 students. In 1925, normal schools were converted to state teachers’ colleges and empowered to grant bachelor’s degrees. In 1959, the Wisconsin State College-Platteville and the Wisconsin Institute of Technology merged and in 1971 became the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

Posted April 2, 1998