Vincent Ravi Booth Papers

The history of Bennington College began when Vincent Ravi Booth, pastor of the Congregational Church in Old Bennington, proposed the founding of a college for women in Old Bennington at an informal meeting in 1923. In 1924, meetings in North Bennington and New York City drew enthusiastic responses and a vision of Bennington College began to form. The Bennington College Corporation and a Board of Trustees were formed to organize efforts for the college. The Board of Trustees appointed the first president of the college, Robert D. Leigh, in 1928. After the fund-raising goal was reached in 1931, the construction of college buildings began. The first class of students entered Bennington College in fall 1932.