Widener University can trace its roots back to 1821, when it was originally a boarding school in Wilmington, Del., writes Colin Ainsworth for Daily Times.

What is now known as Widener originally started out when Delaware resident John Bullock founded the Bullock School for Boys in Wilmington in 1821. It began with no official recognition by the Delaware state legislature.

But following the death of Bullock, the school went to a teacher named Samuel Alsop and became the Alsop school. He then sold his stake to Theodore Hyatt in 1853. According to the school, Hyatt came into the gym and found the students doing military drills using the school’s brooms.

So in 1859, Hyatt incorporated the school as the Delaware Military Academy. With the Civil War imminent, the school became the center of a political battle as prominent Delaware Democrats sided with the pro-South militia. This led to the school’s coat of arms being seized by the state legislature.

The school was then moved to West Chester in 1862 before finally ending up near its current location in Chester in 1866.

Read more about the origins of Widener University in the Daily Times here.

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